Last week marked a historic milestone in military defense: the first combat ever to take place beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Israel’s celebrated Arrow missile-defense system was activated in response to a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, aimed at the Israeli port city of Eilat during the incident on Oct. 30, the Telegraph reported.
It can be recalled that Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces and also the spokesperson for Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, announced that they have launched massive military strikes against Israeli targets in the “occupied territories.”
“Swords of Iron: The IAF carried out the first operational interception of a ballistic missile threat by the “Arrow” system in the Red Sea region. The threat did not infiltrate into Israeli airspace,” the Ministry of Defense confirmed.
Swords of Iron: The IAF carried out the first operational interception of a ballistic missile threat by the “Arrow” system in the Red Sea region. The threat did not infiltrate into Israeli airspace.
Pictured: Arrow system archive photos. pic.twitter.com/lOhFzKraKj— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) October 31, 2023
The Israeli Defense Forces shared a video clip showing the moment of the interception. The video shows a cylindrical shape representing the incoming ballistic missile, which is suddenly obliterated in an explosion.
“The IAF’s Arrow Aerial Defense System intercepted a surface-to-surface missile in the Red Sea area,” the IDF announced.
WATCH:
A cruise missile launched from the southeast toward Israeli airspace was successfully intercepted by F-35i fighter jets.
On the same day, the IAF’s Arrow Aerial Defense System intercepted a surface-to-surface missile in the Red Sea area. pic.twitter.com/jZn0wcqwUX
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 2, 2023
NEW- IDF releases footage of the Arrow long-range missile defense system intercepting a Houthi ballistic missile pic.twitter.com/y2tSEA4mSx
— Overton (@OvertonLive) November 2, 2023
The Arrow Weapon System (AWS) is a missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles. It’s the world’s first stand-alone anti-tactical ballistic missile defense system. The AWS includes both Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors, which can intercept short, medium, and long-range ballistic missiles.
“The Arrow is an advanced air defense system created and designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside of the Earth’s atmosphere,” said Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) per Breaking Defense.
“The Arrow system […] demonstrated today that Israel possesses the most advanced technology for defense against ballistic missiles at various ranges,” CEO and President of the IAI, Boaz Levy, said.
From Israel Aerospace Industries:
The Arrow 3 interceptor is part of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) which is the world’s first operational, national, stand-alone ATBM (Anti Tactical Ballistic Missiles) defense system. Based on the uniquely effective Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors, the Arrow modular air defense systems detect, tracks, intercepts and destroys incoming TBMs carrying a range of warheads and over a large footprint, thereby protecting strategic assets and population centers.
The innovative Arrow 3 interceptor is designed to intercept and destroy the newest, longer-range threats, especially those carrying weapons of mass destruction.
Arrow 3 integrates seamlessly into the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) complementing the current and future blocks of the Arrow 2 interceptor, thus enabling upper-tier multiple engagement opportunities.
This story originally appeared on TheGateWayPundit
