Air Defense

Arrow air-defense system

Also known as
  • Arrow Weapon System
  • Hetz
  • Arrow AWS

The Arrow air-defense system is Israel's upper-tier ballistic-missile shield, built around Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors, Green Pine radar cueing, launchers, and battle management. It gives Israel a long-range layer above shorter-range defenses, with Arrow 2 focused on upper-atmosphere engagements and Arrow 3 adding exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill interception against longer-range ballistic threats.

Arrow air-defense system, Anti-ballistic missile defense system, Air Defense
Image source: Arrow anti-ballistic missile launch4.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Israel / United States
Built in
Israel
Type
Anti-ballistic missile defense system
Service note
1990s-present
Designer
Israel Aerospace Industries, Israel Ministry of Defense DDR&D/IMDO, Boeing, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency
Designed
1980s-1990s
Produced
1990s-present

Specifications

Role
Upper-tier ballistic missile defense
Interceptors
Arrow 2 and Arrow 3
Arrow 2 engagement
Upper-atmosphere 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
Arrow 3 engagement
Exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill interception for long-range ballistic threats
Modes
Standalone or net-centric operation
Threats
Short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles
System Architecture

The Arrow page represents the complete weapon system rather than a single missile. Open sources describe an integrated defensive layer that combines interceptors, launchers, radar cueing, and battle management.

ElementSystem roleDocumented function
Arrow 2 interceptor, Upper-atmosphere ballistic missile interceptor, MunitionsArrow 2 interceptorUpper-atmosphere interceptorEngages short- and medium-range ballistic missiles as part of the Arrow Weapon System.
Arrow 3 interceptor, Exo-atmospheric ballistic missile interceptor, MunitionsArrow 3 interceptorExo-atmospheric interceptorAdds a hit-to-kill layer for longer-range ballistic threats outside the atmosphere.
Green Pine radar and battle managementDetection, tracking, and fire controlIAI and CSIS describe the radar and command architecture as the system layer that cues and controls Arrow engagements.
Variants

The public Arrow Weapon System record covers the launcher, radar, command architecture, and principal interceptor generations; linked interceptor records describe the missiles as relationship-only component pages.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Arrow 2 interceptor, Upper-atmosphere ballistic missile interceptor, MunitionsArrow 2 interceptorUpper-atmosphere ballistic missile interceptor

IAI and CSIS describe Arrow 2 as an interceptor within the Arrow Weapon System for short- and medium-range ballistic-missile defense.

Sources: Arrow 2 - Advanced ATBM Missile Protection, Arrow 2 (Israel) | Missile Threat

Arrow 3 interceptor, Exo-atmospheric ballistic missile interceptor, MunitionsArrow 3 interceptorExo-atmospheric hit-to-kill ballistic missile interceptor

IAI identifies Arrow 3 as the Arrow Weapon System's upper-tier exo-atmospheric interceptor for longer-range threats.

Sources: Arrow 3 - Precise Long-Range Interceptor, Arrow 3 (Israel) | Missile Threat, Israel MOD and IAI Sign Major Deal to Expand Procurement of Arrow-3 Interceptors

Carried Interceptors

The Arrow system entry covers the launch, sensing, and command architecture that fields multiple interceptor generations.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Arrow 2 interceptor, Upper-atmosphere ballistic missile interceptor, MunitionsArrow 2 interceptorUpper-atmosphere ballistic missile interceptor

IAI and CSIS identify Arrow 2 as an interceptor in the Arrow Weapon System for upper-atmosphere ballistic-missile defense.

Sources: Arrow 2 - Advanced ATBM Missile Protection, Arrow 2 (Israel) | Missile Threat, Israel MOD and IAI Sign Major Deal to Expand Procurement of Arrow-3 Interceptors

Arrow 3 interceptor, Exo-atmospheric ballistic missile interceptor, MunitionsArrow 3 interceptorExo-atmospheric ballistic missile interceptor

Official Israel MOD and IAI sources describe the Arrow system as including the Arrow 3 interceptor, while CSIS describes Arrow 3 integration with the Arrow launcher, radar, and battle-management system.

Sources: Arrow 3 - Precise Long-Range Interceptor, Arrow 3 (Israel) | Missile Threat, Israel MOD and IAI Sign Major Deal to Expand Procurement of Arrow-3 Interceptors

Timeline

Arrow air-defense system Key Events

  1. Arrow intercepts missile in Red Sea area

    The IDF reported that Israel used the Arrow aerial defense system to intercept a surface-to-surface missile in the Red Sea area before it crossed into Israeli territory.

  2. Operation Rising Lion missile-defense use

    Israel's post-operation systems evaluation said enhanced Arrow versions helped intercept ballistic missiles launched from Iran during Operation Rising Lion.

  3. Interceptor production acceleration announced

    Israel's Ministry of Defense announced accelerated Arrow interceptor production after wartime interceptions of ballistic missiles launched from Iran and Yemen.

Media

Arrow air-defense system Videos

Arrow air-defense system Images

Arrow air-defense system, Anti-ballistic missile defense system, Air Defense - view 1
Source: Arrow system.jpg
Arrow air-defense system, Anti-ballistic missile defense system, Air Defense - view 2
Source: Arrow2launcher.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Green Pine radar, Long-range ballistic-missile defense radar, Air DefenseAir DefenseGreen Pine radarLong-range ballistic-missile defense radarGreen Pine is the IAI ELTA long-range AESA radar family that gives the Arrow Weapon System its ballistic-missile early-warning, tracking, classification, and fire-control sensor layer. Fielded first by Israel and later exported in upgraded forms, the radar can operate as a stand-alone early-warning sensor or as part of Arrow architecture, with direct Israeli use documented during Operation Rising Lion in the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict.
Stunner interceptor, Missile interceptor, Air DefenseAir DefenseStunner interceptorMissile interceptorThe Stunner interceptor is the two-stage hit-to-kill missile fired by David's Sling, Israel's mid-tier air and missile-defense layer co-developed by Rafael and Raytheon. CSIS describes the missile as using radar datalink updates and onboard terminal seekers, while RTX markets SkyCeptor as a Stunner-family variant for short- to medium-range missile-defense threats. Source-backed operational use is documented in Gaza-related interceptions and the post-October 2023 Israel-Hezbollah fighting.
Barak LR / LRAD interceptor, Long-range surface-to-air interceptor, Air DefenseAir DefenseBarak LR / LRAD interceptorLong-range surface-to-air interceptorBarak LR, also identified in Israeli operational reporting as LRAD, is Israel Aerospace Industries' 70 km long-range interceptor in the Barak MX air and missile defense family. It combines vertical launch, a dual-pulse motor, an active RF seeker, and battle-management data links for land and naval air defense, including Barak Magen use from Israeli Navy Sa'ar 6 missile ships against Iranian-launched UAVs during the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict.

Sources

Israel MOD Concludes Evaluation of Advanced Systems Performance in Operation Rising LionPublisher: Israel Ministry of Defense | Note: Supports 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict: used by Israel when enhanced Arrow system versions helped intercept ballistic missiles launched from Iran during Operation Rising Lion. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Israel MOD Arrow Interceptor Production AccelerationPublisher: Israel Ministry of Defense | Note: Supports 2026 Iran War: used by Israel when the Arrow system intercepted numerous ballistic missiles launched from Iran and Yemen during the current war; also supports production and manufacturer context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Arrow 2 - Advanced ATBM Missile ProtectionPublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports Arrow 2 manufacturer background and specifications, including Green Pine radar cueing, upper-atmosphere engagement, and target-speed class. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Arrow 2 (Israel) | Missile ThreatPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Arrow 2 background and variant context, including U.S.-Israeli development, Arrow Weapon System use, and upper-atmosphere interception role. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Arrow 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: 2026-07-01Arrow 3 (Israel) | Missile ThreatPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Arrow 3 background and the launcher-linked integration context for Arrow 3 interceptors. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Directorate 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: 2026-07-01Israel 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: 2026-07-01Cruise Missile Intercepted by Adir Jet and Surface-To-Surface Missile Intercepted by ArrowPublisher: Israel Defense Forces | Note: Supports 2023 Israel-Hamas War and 2023 Red Sea Crisis: 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: 2026-07-01Arrow 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: 2026-07-01Arrow system.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for the Arrow system diagram used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Arrow2launcher.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Wikimedia Commons file page for the Arrow 2 launcher image used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-07-01