According to Defense Update, the United States and Israel have initiated development of an upper-tier component to the Israeli Missile Defense architecture, commonly known as ‘Arrow 3′:

Israel, U.S. to Embark on Collaborative ‘Upper-Tier’ Missile Intercept Program to include Arrow 3 and Land-Based SM-3 Missiles

On the sidelines of the Netanyahu-Obama meeting, a ‘strategic dialog’ meeting was held in Washington this week, where Israel was assured that the US will continue to support Israel’s missile defense research and development.

The teams, headed by US Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy and Defense Ministry Secretary-General Pinchas Buchris, also discussed a number of additional strategic issues. The US intention is to integrate the support for Israeli programs into the US defense budget.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is requesting Congress to approve allocation of $120 million in next year’s defense budget for the U.S.-Israeli cooperative missile defense efforts. “The United States and Israel have cooperated on missile defense for over twenty years” Lieutenant General Patrick J. O’Reilly, Director of the Missile Defense Agency said before the House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee. According to General O’Reilly, U.S.-Israeli collaboration have successfully grown through the years, from early feasibility studies to fully operational fully-operational missile defense architecture that has become fully interoperable with U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Systems elements. “New joint programs have advanced this cooperation: U.S. and Israeli industrial co-production of Arrow interceptors; the joint Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense Program’s David’s Sling Weapon System; and an initiative to provide Israel an upper-tier defense system.” Said General O’Reilly.

For technical and other details see the full article.

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