{"id":34077,"date":"2017-12-04T20:49:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T20:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/12\/04\/an-inside-look-at-israels-missile-test-range\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:51:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:51:04","slug":"an-inside-look-at-israels-missile-test-range","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2017\/12\/04\/an-inside-look-at-israels-missile-test-range\/","title":{"rendered":"An inside look at Israel\u2019s missile test range"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PALMACHIM AIR FORCE BASE, Israel \u2014 Monday\u2019s \u201cno test\u201d of the Arrow-3 interceptor<\/a> due to target missile performance anomalies underscored the paramount importance Israel places on safety when conducting complex and dangerous tests from the nation\u2019s main ballistic missile test range here, in the highly populated heart of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as sophisticated instruments for accurately measuring and tracking such long-range, high-velocity objects goes, the test range at this seaside base is similar to the sprawling Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Pacific Marshall Islands, the U.S. Army\u2019s White Sands Missile Range in the New Mexico desert or even Moscow\u2019s Kura range in the far east of Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From here, Israel deploys front-line optical, radar and telemetry instruments up and down the Israeli coast, with hundreds of kilometers of fiber cables and air- and sea-based communications links providing redundant layers to ensure each point of the target missile trajectory and of the ground-based defender are properly covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What distinguishes this range from the vastly larger but no less technologically advanced ranges in the U.S. or Russia is that this site sits squarely in the heart of the country, with the Port of Ashdod to the south, Ben Gurion Airport to the north, and multiple desalination plans and other critical infrastructure all around, according to Lt. Col. Ofir, the commander of an Israeli Air Force missile-testing unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore than 2 million people live in a 15-kilometer radius of here,\u201d said the commander, whose last name was withheld from publication for security reasons. \u201cObviously these people weren\u2019t here in 1969 when the site was established, but back in those days, it was determined that this place offered the most optimum point along our entire coast for launching westward over the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This graphic depiction shows Israeli Arrow anti-ballistic missiles flying toward their targets, detailing the first-ever successful multiple-launch test from the Palmachim Air Force Base on Jan. 5, 2003, in Israel. (Israel Aircraft Industries via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In an interview months before the Dec. 4 Arrow-3 \u201cno test,\u201d Ofir noted that such intercept tests can take up to six months to plan. Hundreds of people from Israel\u2019s defense establishment are involved in such tests, as are dozens of aircraft, ships and ground-based assets. Tests of the Arrow-3 exo-atmospheric interceptor, he noted, are actually two tests run in parallel, where planners must always prepare for the worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe follow and track two systems at the same time since the target missile \u2015 the family of the Sparrow \u2015 is actually being launched by our pilots toward Israel. That means we have to be prepared for the possibility that the intercept won\u2019t happen and the target will continue flying towards Israel. We have to make sure that all safety precautions are being taken; and that\u2019s all separate from all the other safety procedures in place regarding the intercepting system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s the periodic launch of an Israeli spy satellite or the much more frequent milestone tests of Israel\u2019s Arrow and David\u2019s Sling missile defense intercepting systems, Ofir said, the same four-pronged safety assurance process applies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first green light we get is from my technical manager, who works and checks all the instrumentation. If it\u2019s a green range, the second green light is from the operational manager, who conducts the operational mission, ensuring that aircraft are deployed to keep air routes clear and help from the Israel Navy to make sure sea corridors are clear. We also have forces checking that all the ground area inside the hazard zone is clear. And if all that is green, we still need clearances from the safety manager and, finally, from the industry. There is a test manager from the industry who has his own protocols and makes sure the weapon system [or systems] have passed each phase and are ready for launch. Only after all four green lights are given will the test manager initiate countdown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t