Last update - 00:00 19/12/2007
IDF successfully tests improved Patriot defense missile system
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces conducted an improved "Patriot" missile launching experiment Tuesday in cooperation with armament company RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems in southern Israel, the IDF announced Wednesday.
The experiment, declared a success, was part of a series of improvements added to the missile's operational system, geared toward increasing the cover and detection ranges via a new radar system.
In Tuesday's experiment, the first of its kind in a very long period of time, a missile was launched at a target simulating an airplane carrying out an attack mission. The improved missile was able to successfully intercept the target.
"The success of the test allows us to put the new version into use, something which improves our abilities in the face of relevant threats," said Brigadier-General Daniel Milo, the commander of the Israel Air Force's Anti-Aircraft division.
He was referring to scenarios in which enemy states such as Iran or Syria would fire long-range missiles at the heart of Israel.
The Patriot System is a U.S.-developed interceptor of such missiles, first used by Israel in the 1991 Gulf War, during which the regime of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched Soviet-made Scud missiles at Tel Aviv, Haifa and other Israeli cities.
Israel is improving the system's radar and range as part of the implementation of lessons learned from the 34-day war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, during which the radical Lebanese movement fired nearly 4,000 Katyusha rockets at northern Israeli towns and communities.
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