The United States successfully tested a missile-killer that could be integrated into Israel’s strategic defense system.
The U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) shot down a Scud-type missile near Hawaii under controlled conditions Saturday, the fourth time the device has aced such a test.
An Israeli was among foreign officials observing the new test. Israel may eventually incorporate the THAAD in a multi-layered missile-defense system that it is developing jointly with the Pentagon.
Currently, that system envisages using Israel’s Arrow II missile-killer for intercepting ballistic threats, the David’s Sling for medium-range rockets and the Iron Dome for short-range rockets.
“Arrow takes care of very high altitudes while THAAD takes care of high altitudes. They could definitely work in tandem,” former Israeli air force chief Eytan Ben-Eliahu told Channel 10 television.
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