IAI chief says Arrow 4 to ‘increase Israel’s interception success rates’

Israel Aerospace Industries President and CEO Boaz Levy says the in-development Arrow 4, the latest generation of the Israeli anti-ballistic air defense system family, will “increase Israel’s interception success rates.”

“IAI develops new capabilities every day, and we are working to bring them to operational readiness,” Levy says at the Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv.

“When we develop a new system, we focus on solutions for future threats, not current threats. This is how we stay ahead of the ever-evolving threats,” he says.

“Accordingly, the Arrow 4 air defense system, which will replace Arrow 2, will enter operational deployment. Together, the Arrow 3 and Arrow 4 systems will deliver advanced interception capabilities against ballistic missile threats. With Arrow 4, we will increase Israel’s interception success rates,” Levy adds.

IAI announced the start of development on the Arrow 4 in 2021. The latest generation is expected to replace the Arrow 2 — first deployed in 1998 — in the coming decades. Currently, the Israeli Air Force operates both the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, the latter of which was declared operational in 2017.

The Arrow systems were used against several rounds of fighting with Iran, during which Tehran launched ballistic missiles at Israel from over 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) away.