Israel-US to hold missile intercept drill

MISSILE DEFENSE SOURCE:

The exercise, dubbed Juniper Cobra, will be held in Israel to test the Arrow (Hetz) system as well as the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) (pictured) and the ship-based Aegus Ballistic Missile Defence System.

by Staff Writers Jerusalem (AFP) April 14, 2009 Israel and the United States will hold their largest-ever joint missile defence drills later this year, testing three anti-ballistic missile systems, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The exercise, dubbed Juniper Cobra, will be held in Israel to test the Arrow (Hetz) system as well as the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) and the ship-based Aegus Ballistic Missile Defence System, the Jerusalem Post said.

Israeli and US forces have staged the Juniper Cobra exercise over the past five years but the Post said this year's drill was likely to be the most complex yet and will for the first time include the launch of interceptors.

It did not give a date for the manoeuvres.

Israel last week carried out the latest successful test of its Arrow missile system, a costly project launched two decades ago aimed at countering strikes mainly from arch-foe Iran.

Development of the Arrow is now half-funded by Israel's main ally, the United States.

The Jewish state has in recent years stepped up the development of several missile and rocket intercept systems aimed at countering the threat of attack from Syria, Iran and militants in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Israel considers Iran to be its main foe following repeated calls by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the Jewish state to be wiped off the map.

Widely considered to be the Middle East's sole nuclear armed state, Israel, along with Washington, suspects Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of its civilian nuclear programme, a charge Tehran denies.

In March, a top Iranian military commander said Tehran has missiles that can reach nuclear facilities in Israel.