The IDF used the Arrow-3 extra-atmospheric system for the first time
The Israel Defense Forces reported the first case of successful combat use of the Arrow-3 anti-missile system ("Hetz-3", "Strela-3"). In the sky over the Red Sea, the PRK destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Yemeni Houthis. What the new extra-atmospheric missile defense system of Israel is capable of and whether it can really shoot down missiles in space, says the military observer of the newspaper.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.
According to the IDF, the defeat of a ballistic target directed towards Israel was recorded on the evening of November 9. This is the first successful live firing of the Arrow-3 missile defense system since it was put on combat duty in 2017. A week earlier, an enemy ballistic missile was hit by the Arrow-2 anti-missile system.
How is the defense of Israel
The missile defense of the territory of Israel is currently built in three echelons. It can be safely called a missile defense in the theater of military operations.
The first echelon is the Iron Dome missile defense system. This is a tactical missile defense system designed to defend objects and the territory of the country from unguided tactical missiles (TR) of short range.
Meanwhile, detailed tactical and technical characteristics (TTX) of even this system are not publicly available today. For example, the media cites the following data of the "Iron Dome": it provides defense against TR with a flight range from 4 to 70 km. In fact, such characteristics have nothing even remotely in common with the TTX of any anti-aircraft missile /anti-missile system.
Usually, the characteristics of an anti-aircraft missile / anti-missile system include the far, near, lower and upper boundaries of the affected zone, fire performance, noise immunity, the number of target and missile channels, the effective reflecting surface of the target at which firing is possible, and much more. There is no such data on the "Iron Dome".
It absolutely does not matter from what range the enemy's air attack vehicle (SVN) is launched - from 70, 700 or from 7 thousand km. The main thing in this case is at what range (altitude) the SVN will be hit by the SAM or PRK.
The second echelon of Israel's missile defense is represented by the David's Sling missile system (Stunner). This PRK can be called a medium-range missile defense system. Again, in open sources, the characteristics of the "David's Sling" are given, which are not related to its actual TTX - type range of launching enemy air attack means from 70 to 300 km. Here we observe a direct analogy with the data of the "Iron Dome".
And, finally, the third echelon of Israel's missile defense is the Arrow-type long-range missile defense system ("Hetz") of various modifications.
In open sources, very few TTX of the Arrow PRC are given. Among them, again, is an absolutely fake characteristic of the type of complex "capable of intercepting enemy ballistic missiles launched from a distance of up to 3000 km." According to other data, no less fake, from 3000-3500 to 5000-5500 km.
Such characteristics have nothing to do with reality. Because it absolutely does not matter from what range the enemy launches its missiles. The fundamental question in this case, we repeat, is only one - at what range, altitude and speed the missile defense system can destroy a ballistic target.
How Hetz-3 works
What can be said almost for sure, the Arrow-3 missile defense system implements the principle of kinetic interception, that is, the warhead is an inert combat unit, and it destroys the enemy's ballistic missiles with an accurate blow to the target.
High-explosive fragmentation warhead when firing at ballistic missiles is not always effective. This became clear in 1991, when the American Patriot air defense systems during the first Gulf War conducted a large number of firings on Iraqi "Scud" (single-stage liquid-fueled ballistic missile of operational and tactical purpose R-17. In NATO countries, it was called Scud B) In many cases, a meeting of an anti-aircraft guided missile was noted with the aim of undermining the warhead, but it was not always possible to achieve the destruction of the Scud (that is, "knock it off the trajectory," as the rocket scientists say).
In addition, kinetic interception means that the Arrow-3 anti-missile missile is guided by an active radar/infrared homing head at the final section of its flight path. Otherwise, it is simply impossible to ensure the accuracy required for kinetic interception of the anti-missile guidance on the target.
Now let's pay attention to this fact. On November 5, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the defeat on October 31 of a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis from Yemen at Eilat by the Arrow-2 anti-missile system probably became "the first battle in space in the history of mankind."
In general, on this occasion, various media then did not skimp on epithets: "Israel for the first time in history repelled a rocket attack from outer space," "humanity has entered the era of star wars," etc. Of course, all this is a very big exaggeration and has a very, very remote relation to reality. In fact, there was a live firing of an anti-missile system at a ballistic target in the upper atmosphere. Star Wars is still a long way off.
This, we emphasize once again, is far from space, but only the upper layers of the atmosphere (the thermosphere, to be more precise). But the laws of aerodynamics no longer apply at such an altitude, and either gas rudders or maneuvering engines must be used in the anti-missile (which is probably implemented in the Arrow-3 anti-missile).
Rocket launch from the Hetz complex
Image Source: US Navy News Service
The Israel Defense Forces emphasize that the Arrow-3 missile defense system is "one of the most advanced anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems in the world and is designed to intercept ballistic missiles flying outside the atmosphere and has an exceptionally long range." This, of course, is more of an advertising statement, but a significant amount of truth is still present here.
The composition of the Arrow-3 missile defense system, apparently, looks like this: a multifunctional radar, a combat control point, a data transmission system, a launch position with anti-missiles, power supplies. It is quite possible that the data of space reconnaissance means are used in the direct preparation of combat firing.
We can only assume that the upper limit of the Arrow-3 missile defense system's damage zone is within 250-300 km, and the far one is 450-500 km. The minimum height of a ballistic target (the lower limit of the Arrow-3 damage zone) is most likely within 30-40 km.
As a conclusion, we can say that Israel has indeed created an effective layered missile defense system in the theater of military operations and convincingly demonstrated its capabilities during real combat operations.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for the newspaper.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy Commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (1998).
Columnist of "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Military-Industrial Courier" (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
