Israel intercepts Iranian missile in space; what is exoatmospheric interception, and Arrow 3 features

Time of India

14 hours ago

Israeli air‑raid sirens blared across the country as Iran launched a coordinated missile barrage toward
Israel
on June 13. In a moment that captured the world's attention, an Arrow 3 hypersonic interceptor launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) successfully hit an incoming Iranian ballistic missile at an altitude of 100 km, in a stunning demonstration of an exoatmospheric intercept. The Iranian missile was destroyed by a Boeing Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile system in space.
As dozens of Iranian missiles soared toward Israeli skies, the latter's multilayered air-defense shield was activated. Many of the Iranian missiles were intercepted, while some also found their target. The most notable hit by Iran was on HaKirya or The Kirya, the headquarters of Israel Defense Forces in Tel Aviv.
The Boeing Arrow 3 system
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Undo
The Arrow 3 system, called Hetz 3 by Israel,is designed to operate in
exoatmospheric interception
, that is, outside Earth's atmosphere, targets threats during their space-bound midcourse, before they could descend on populated areas.
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The hypersonic anti-ballistic missile has been deployed to tackle intercontinental ballistic missiles before they reenter the Earth's atmosphere. Arrow 3 is a joint development project of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing for the Israel Defense Forces.
Highly maneuverable with the ability to take a 90-degree turn and a range of 2,400 km (1,500 miles), its kill vehicle can also be used for targeting enemy satellites.
What is exoatmospheric interception?
It's a 'space-based' missile kill. Unlike Iron Dome, which intercepts rockets under 70 km altitude, Arrow 3 strikes ballistic missiles in the space-flight portion, refined to hit them at speeds beyond Mach 5, with no explosives, relying instead on a 'hit‑to‑kill' kinetic strike
.
Developed jointly by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing, and operational since 2017, Arrow 3 is part of Israel's upper-tier, long-range missile defense. Israel combines Arrow 3 and 2 for high-altitude threats, David's Sling for midrange, and Iron Dome for short-range rockets
Panic gave way to relief as video emerged of the missile's arc and its fiery obliteration in space.
The bigger picture
Iran's missile-and-drone barrage, code‑named
Operation True Promise 3
, is the third such strike following April and October 2024 attacks. This latest salvo included around 150 ballistic missiles and over 100 drones fired at Israel on the night of June 13, 2025.
The operation came in direct retaliation for Israel's Operation Rising Lion, the air and missile strikes on Iranian territory. Israeli forces struck deep into Iran, targeting military and suspected nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Tehran.
Israel, meanwhile, vowed to respond firmly. Defense Minister Katz declared Iran 'crossed red lines' and affirmed, 'We will continue to protect citizens and ensure the ayatollah regime pays a very heavy price.'