Exploring Israel's Arrow missile defense system: A pillar of national security and the future of Arrow 4

The Israeli Arrow missile defense system, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has been instrumental in safeguarding Israel from ballistic missile threats, particularly from long-range missiles launched by neighboring countries or Iranian proxies like the Houthis in Yemen.

Since October 2023, the Houthis have fired over 200 missiles at Israel, with the latest launch occurring just last night, despite multiple warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would hold Iran responsible for their actions and they would be met with "great force."

The Arrow system is part of Israel's multi-layered defense strategy, which includes other systems, such as the Iron Dome and David's Sling.

The defense system has contributed to Israel's security in a few key ways.

The Arrow system is designed specifically to counter long-range ballistic missiles, including those that may be carrying chemical, biological, or nuclear payloads – the most destructive part of the missile.

The system also detects, tracks and intercepts enemy missiles, charting their course during all phases. This significantly reduces the risk posed by missile attacks that could cause massive damage and casualties.

Arrow missiles are also capable of intercepting incoming threats at higher altitudes, which helps in preventing missiles from reaching populated areas. The higher altitude interception gives the system an advantage in both eliminating the missile and minimizing collateral damage. Since missiles are often intercepted above the atmosphere, Israel enforces a 10-minute directive to stay in protected areas. This is to ensure safety from shrapnel and falling debris from the destroyed missiles.

The Arrow works in tandem with Israel's other defense layers like the Iron Dome, which handles short-range threats – including mortars and artillery shells – and has proven highly successful in intercepting rockets from Gaza; and David’s Sling which is designed to intercept more medium-range missiles and rockets.

The integration of Arrow with these systems creates a comprehensive defense against a wide range of missile threats.

The Arrow defense system was originally developed in response to a question posed by the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan: “Can you hit a bullet with a bullet?"

“It was like a technological answer to a future problem of intercepting ballistic missiles,” explained CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, Boaz Levy. “Nobody thought about the scenario like we had in Iran. Nobody thought about the synchronized salvo that we had that night of April 14. But the system was designed robust enough, and thus this robustness gave us the solution of intercepting so many incoming missiles.”

Levy added, “We knew that the system is very well tested. We knew that we had the best technology, but we [had] never faced a real threat yet.”

“And when more than 100 missiles [or drones] arrived from Iran toward Israel, attacking populated areas, it was a moment of concern. But we knew that everything would work. And after a few seconds, when we saw the first interceptor launch toward the threat, we knew that it would be okay,” he said.

The Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems were crucial to Israel's defense during the April and October attacks from the Iranian regime last year. Now, IAI is in the final stages of developing the Arrow 4, a next-generation system aimed at improving missile interception capabilities at both high and low altitudes.

Looking to the future, Levy is confident that IAI’s engineers are relentlessly advancing missile defense technology.

“I believe that a company like IAI, like Israel Aerospace Industries, that is leading this effort for the last 35 years or so, has the responsibility to predict the future," he told Ynet News.

"Engineers are working these days about the future capabilities, giving us the new design for the new types of threats that will appear in the near and far future."