Profile
- Type
- Anti-ballistic missile defense system
- Conflict side
- Israel
- Origin
- Israel
- Service note
- 1990s-present
Air Defense
Arrow air-defense system
The Arrow air-defense system is Israel's upper-tier ballistic-missile shield, pairing Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors with radar and command systems to defeat long-range threats. Arrow 2 handles atmospheric and near-space ballistic-missile engagements, while Arrow 3 adds an exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill layer that Israeli sources describe as central against Iranian missile attacks.
- Conflict side
- Israel
- Built by
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Built in
- Israel
Service History
- In service
- Operational in Israel's national air and missile-defense array; Arrow 3 is described by IAI as combat-proven during the Iron Swords War, while Israel's Ministry of Defense says enhanced Arrow versions were integrated before Operation Rising Lion against Iran.
- Used by
- Israel Defense Forces
- Wars
- Israel-Hamas War
Production History
- Designer
- Israel Aerospace Industries, Israel Ministry of Defense DDR&D, Boeing, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency
- Designed
- 1980s-1990s
- Built by
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Built in
- Israel
- Produced
- 1990s-present
- Variants
- Arrow 2, Arrow 3
Specifications
- Role
- Upper-tier ballistic missile defense
- Interceptors
- Arrow 2 and Arrow 3
- Arrow 2 engagement
- Endo- and exo-atmospheric interception of incoming tactical ballistic missiles
- Arrow 2 sensor cueing
- ELM-2080 Green Pine radar detects, locates, and identifies incoming threats
- Arrow 2 target speed
- Designed to intercept missiles traveling up to about 2 miles per second / 3 km/s
- Engagement
- Arrow 3 is an exo-atmospheric interceptor for long-range threats
- Modes
- Standalone or net-centric operation
- Threats
- Short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles
Conflict Usage
- Israel-Hamas War
- Side: IsraelRole: Long-range ballistic missile interception
The IDF said the Arrow aerial defense system was used by Israel in the Israel-Hamas War to intercept a surface-to-surface missile in the area of the Red Sea on November 2, 2023.
Arrow air-defense system Images
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Arrow 2 - Advanced ATBM Missile ProtectionPublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports Arrow 2 manufacturer background and specifications, including Green Pine radar cueing, endo- and exo-atmospheric engagement, and target-speed class. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Arrow 3 - Precise Long-Range InterceptorPublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports Arrow Weapon System background, prime-contractor context, upper-tier interception role, and Arrow 3's exo-atmospheric engagement description. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D)Publisher: Israel Ministry of Defense | Note: Supports Arrow-3's top-layer missile-defense role and exo-atmospheric engagement context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Israel MOD and IAI Sign Major Deal to Expand Procurement of Arrow-3 InterceptorsPublisher: Israel Ministry of Defense | Note: Supports Arrow-3 background and specs, including the Arrow system's Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 interceptors and its use against Iranian missile attacks and Houthi launches. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Israel MOD Operation Rising Lion Systems EvaluationPublisher: Israel Ministry of Defense | Note: Supports background on enhanced Arrow system versions integrated before Operation Rising Lion and Israeli air-defense performance against Iranian ballistic missiles; not used as United States-Iran Conflict support because the source describes Israeli fielding rather than U.S. fielding. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Cruise Missile Intercepted by Adir Jet and Surface-To-Surface Missile Intercepted by ArrowPublisher: Israel Defense Forces | Note: Supports Israel-Hamas War: used by Israel when the Arrow aerial defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile in the area of the Red Sea on November 2, 2023. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Arrow anti-ballistic missile launch4.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for the public-domain U.S. government launch photo used as the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Arrow system.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for the Arrow system diagram used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Arrow2launcher.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for the Arrow 2 launcher image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-20