Israel completes advanced testing of anti-missile system

Israel has completed a testing of an anti-missile system that it has been developing jointly with the United States, Israeli defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The David's Sling Weapon System, part of Israel's multi-tiered anti-missile array, is designed to intercept short and mid-range rockets from the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah-dominated southern Lebanon.

During the recent test, the fifth in a series, "threat-representative targets were launched and successfully intercepted by Stunner missiles," said a statement released by the defense ministry.

"The interceptors were launched, performed all flight phases and engaged the targets," the statement read, adding that preliminary analysis indicates that test objectives were "successfully achieved."

"This test campaign is a critical step in ensuring that Israel has the capability to defense itself from a very real and growing threat," he said in a statement.

The test was conducted jointly by the Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency at Yanat Sea Range in southern Israel. The system has been built by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, with Arizona-based Raytheon Missile Systems as a sub-contractor.

U.S. Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. Jim Syring said his country is "strongly committed to supporting Israel's development of a missile defense system."

In July, Israel and the U.S. carried out a military drill, linking David's Sling with the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptors. The drill simulated missile attacks from Iran and Lebanon. Endit