{"id":24316,"date":"2017-12-04T14:50:03","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T14:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/12\/04\/target-glitch-prompts-a-no-test-for-us-israel-arrow-3-missile-interceptor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:07:13","slug":"target-glitch-prompts-a-no-test-for-us-israel-arrow-3-missile-interceptor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2017\/12\/04\/target-glitch-prompts-a-no-test-for-us-israel-arrow-3-missile-interceptor\/","title":{"rendered":"Target glitch prompts a \u2018no test\u2019 for US-Israel Arrow-3 missile interceptor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEL AVIV, Israel \u2014 A target missile that \u201cwas not conforming to safety parameters\u201d forced program officials in Israel to terminate Monday morning\u2019s planned test of the Arrow-3 prior to launch of the exo-atmospheric intercepting missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShortly after the target was launched, it started behaving in a way that was not conforming to safety parameters determined in advance and we were forced to declare a \u2018no test,\u2019 \u201d said Moshe Patel, director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization at Israel\u2019s Defense Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patel said engineers were evaluating data to determine why the target \u2014 an upgraded version of the Sparrow family of air-launched missiles built by Rafael \u2014 did not perform as expected. Once that data is analyzed, he said, program officials could begin planning a retest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boaz Levy, executive vice president for state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries \u2014 the prime contractor for the Arrow intercepting program \u2014 insisted that the planned Dec. 4 intercept test was a developmental test aimed at validating new capabilities planned for future block versions of the Arrow-3. The declared \u201cno-test,\u201d he said, has no bearing on the operational capability of the Arrow weapon system or its continuously upgraded Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 intercepting missiles deployed by the Israeli Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were fully prepared for this test. In today\u2019s case, the decision was made to abort the process even before the interceptor and all its supporting systems were activated,\u201d Levy said. \u201cWe will learn all about what happened today and get prepared for the next test as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t