Israel announces successful test of anti-missile missile

JERUSALEM (AFP) Dec 16, 2003
The Israeli army on Tuesday carried out a new test of a missile designed to shoot down ballistic missiles in flight, the defence ministry said, adding that the operation was successful.

The ministry said that the missile, named Hetz (arrow) was fired from an aircraft and successfully intercepted and destroyed another missile which was similar to the Soviet-made Scud missiles that have been widely used in the region, notably by the ousted Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.

The statement said the test, the 11th of the Hetz system to date, involved hitting an incoming missile at high altitude.

The Hetz programme was launched in 1988 as part of a US programme to develop an anti-missile defence system, nicknamed "Star Wars" after the film of that name.

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