Israel claims joint US missile launch in Mediterranean for 'target practice'

reply to post by cody599


well russia originally reported them as ballistic missiles which are usually very large missiles.

reply to post by SupersonicSerpent


It wasn't an ICBM. A ballistic missile isn't necessarily an ICBM, there are also SRBMs, TRBMs, MRBMs, and just regular missiles.

This was a test of the Arrow anti-missile system, testing a new version of the interceptor. This isn't something you wake up one day and go "Hey, let's go test this new missile". This was planned for awhile now. Tests like this are usually planned months in advance, sometimes years.

reply to post by wrabbit2000


Because technically the US is involved in Arrow. It's a joint Israeli-US system, so there are civilian personnel involved. There was no direct military involvement by the US. The SDIO is helping to fund the system because the US is interested in it as well. Currently Boeing (along with 125 companies in the US) are building Arrow missiles for the system and shipping them to Israel.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by SupersonicSerpent

 

It wasn't an ICBM. A ballistic missile isn't necessarily an ICBM, there are also SRBMs, TRBMs, MRBMs, and just regular missiles.

This was a test of the Arrow anti-missile system, testing a new version of the interceptor. This isn't something you wake up one day and go "Hey, let's go test this new missile". This was planned for awhile now. Tests like this are usually planned months in advance, sometimes years.

Correct.
It is also something that should have been announced before the test. Too many itchy trigger fingers over there to be doing that kind of risky stuff.

reply to post by St Udio


They were Yakor target missiles launched from an aircraft, most likely an F-15I. Israel doesn't have any "bombers" per se. They have tactical bombers, which are essentially just fighters that carry bombs, but they don't have any heavy bombers like the US and other countries do.

reply to post by butcherguy


I agree that it is, but Israel has launched these tests so many times in the past, and it's never even hit headlines. This one wouldn't have in the past, but the timing just sucks. Someone in the government should have looked at the situation and sent out an announcement, at least to Russia if not to the entire area.

reply to post by Zaphod58

Originally posted by SupersonicSerpent
reply to post by cody599

 

well russia originally reported them as ballistic missiles which are usually very large missiles.

Here you go

The Arrow or Hetz (Hebrew: חֵץ, pronounced [ˈχet͡s]) is a family of anti-ballistic missiles designed to fulfill an Israeli requirement for a theater missile defense system that would be more effective against ballistic missiles than the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile. Jointly funded and produced by Israel and the United States, development of the system began in 1986 and has continued since, drawing some contested criticism. Undertaken by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing, it is overseen by the Israeli Ministry of Defense's "Homa" (Hebrew: חומה‎, pronounced [χoma], "rampart") administration and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

The Arrow system consists of the joint production hypersonic Arrow anti-missile interceptor, the Elta EL/M-2080 "Green Pine" early-warning AESA radar, the Tadiran Telecom "Golden Citron" ("Citron Tree") C3I center, and the Israel Aerospace Industries "Brown Hazelnut" ("Hazelnut Tree") launch control center. The system is transportable, as it can be moved to other prepared sites.

Following the construction and testing of the Arrow 1 technology demonstrator, production and deployment began with the Arrow 2 version of the missile. The Arrow is considered one of the most advanced missile defense programs currently in existence.[8][11] It is the first operational missile defense system specifically designed and built to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles.[12][13] Initial operating capability of Arrow 3 is expected in 2014, providing exo-atmospheric interception of ballistic missiles.[14] The first Arrow battery was declared fully operational in October 2000. Although several of its components have been exported, the Israeli Air Defense Command within the Israeli Air Force (IAF) of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is currently the sole user of the complete Arrow system.

Source


It stands about 7m tall if memory serves me and about 800mm diameter at the base.

So with all due respect Russia reported it correctly
It was a ballistic missile

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. Shorter range ballistic missiles stay within the Earth's atmosphere, while longer range ones are designed to spend some of their flight time above the atmosphere and are thus considered sub-orbital

Source

But most definitely NOT an ICBM

Cody

reply to post by cody599


These were actually the Ancor, which is a modified Black Sparrow, which is a ballistic missile target simulator. This was the first flight for the Ancor. The Arrow system itself never fired a shot. It was a non-intercept flight test for the Ancor.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Absolutely 100% correct

Just got off the phone to Israel and was about to post the same.

Good catch Zaphod

Cody