Israel To Test Arrow-3 Interceptor Missile In 2011

 Israel's new Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptor Test will be performed by mid-2011.

Israel Aerospace Industries, which is developing the Arrow-3, iscurrently performing ground testing of the new missile, which willintercept incoming ballistic missiles using kinetic kill instead ofproximity warhead detonation as with the operational Arrow-2.

Israeli sources say the Arrow-3 will be the most advanced ballisticmissile interceptor in the world. They say it will be "very energetic"and have "super manoeuvrability", enabling it to change its trajectoryto engage another target that was detected after launch.

The sources say the Arrow-3 will be deployed in parallel to theArrow-2, and the type to be launched will be determined by the firecontrol system.

The need for a longer-range kinetic kill interceptor stems from the threat posed by Scud-type missiles with 400-600km (216-324nm) range that Syria deploys, and designs with a 2,000km range, like Iran's Shihab-type weapons.

The Arrow-3 will provide an additional layer in Israel's multi-layered defence system, which the nation has built to protect its territory from rockets and missiles.

Rafael's Iron Dome system has recently proved its capability to destroy salvos from short-range rockets. The company and Raytheon are also developing David's Sling, a system designed to intercept longer-range rockets like the Iranian-designed Fatah-110 by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missiles will provide the upper layer, with the two planned to work separately or together to improve interception probabilities.

 

Kuwait's MBT decision could revive tank production in Croatia and Serbia

Kuwait's decision whether to modernise its fleet of M-84 main battletanks (MBTs) could spur the revival of production of the vehicles bySerbia and Croatia, Serbian media reported on 17 June.
Senior defence ministry officials from Serbia and Croatia met todiscuss possible modernisation strategies for the vehicles, which couldbe at the core of a significant defence collaboration between the tworepublics.
"Tank production can be revived if there proves to be a need," saidStevan Nikcevic, general director of Jugoimport SDPR, whichco-ordinates the domestic defence industry. "I cannot say anythingabout the details of the commercial contract with Kuwait. We havetransported the M-84 AB1 tank there and thus the modernised version anddemonstrated its capabilities. The Kuwaitis were pleased with what theysaw."

Yemeni militants kill 11 in jailbreak

SAN'A, Yemen (AP) — Four suspected al Qaeda gunmen blasted their wayinto the intelligence headquarters of Yemen's second largest citySaturday and freed several detainees in the group's most spectacularoperation since a U.S.-backed government crackdown began late last year.
Theattack on the heavily protected security complex killed 11 and furtherbolstered U.S. concerns that Yemen's weak central government may not beup to tackling an increasingly effective foe seemingly able to strikeanywhere inside or outside the country.

"We were hit where weleast expected it," Yemeni Information Minister Hassan al-Lozy told theAl-Arabiya news channel. "This is a serious escalation from theseterrorist elements."
U.S. officials say insurgents, includingAmericans, are training in militant camps in Yemen's vast lawlessspaces and allying with powerful tribes opposed to the government ofPresident Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Those concerns deepened lastDecember, when al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibilityfor the failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner.
Inthe wake of the Christmas attack, with U.S. aid, training andintelligence, Yemen's military and air force have struck repeatedly atal Qaeda sites and suspected hideouts, and arrested several suspects.
Ina statement, the Yemeni government said the attacks bore the hallmarksof al Qaeda and resulted in the death of seven members of the securityforces, three women and a child in the southern port city of Aden,about 200 miles south of the capital.
The fact that one of themost important security institutions in the country's second largestcity could be attacked reflects the state's weakness, said analystMansour Hael, hinting that the attackers must have had inside help.
"Thequestion to ask is how these attackers were able to infiltrate such afortified security area. This raises a number of suspicions," he said.
Theheadquarters of the powerful intelligence agency is located in anupscale neighborhood of government offices overlooking the sea, flankedby the state television building and a branch of the Transport Ministry.

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