A planned live test of Israel's Arrow 3 ballistic-missile interceptor in Alaska this summer has been postponed to improve the system's readiness, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
Jointly manufactured with Boeing Co., Arrow 3 is billed as capable of destroying missiles in space, at an altitude that would destroy any unconventional warheads safely. Israel regards it as a bulwark against Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah.
No new date was given for the live wwww. The system passed its first full interception test over the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 and was deployed in Israel in 2017.
The test planned for this summer in Alaska would have allowed larger interception distances.
The Defense Ministry statement said the postponement had been agreed upon with the Pentagon, Israel's partner in the Arrow system development, "with the goal of reaching maximum readiness for a test on the American range."
The operational capacity of Arrow 3, and earlier generation Arrow-2 units also deployed in Israel, was unaffected, it said.
Israel has been having some difficulties with its Arrow 3 tests.
Its first full trial, scheduled in 2014, was aborted due to what designers said was a faulty flight by the target missile. Follow-up Israeli tests last December and January were also called off at short notice due to technical problems.
Arrow will be the top tier of an integrated Israeli shield built to withstand a range of missile or rocket attacks. The short-range Iron Dome interceptor is already in place, while the David's Sling system, due to be fielded next year, will shoot down mid-range missiles.
