Documents
Israel Israel Aerospace Industries
Arrow 2
An Israeli endo-atmospheric ballistic-missile interceptor and the predecessor to Arrow 3, developed with U.S. backing to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. It uses a fragmentation warhead rather than hit-to-kill.
In service since 2000 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
90
km range
51,000
m altitude
14
targets
500
km radar
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Israeli export-licensed
Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2000. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 9 Mach Top 10% of air-defense systems
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 90 km Stronger than 63% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 51,000 m Top 10% of air-defense systems
- Simultaneous targets
Number of targets the system can engage at once. Higher resists saturation attacks.
- 14 Stronger than 76% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- Arrow 2 interceptor missile
- Warhead
Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.
- 135 kg Stronger than 84% of air-defense systems
- Warhead type
Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.
- Fragmentation
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Active radar homing, Inertial + datalink
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Green Pine radar
- Radar range
Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.
- 500 km Stronger than 89% of air-defense systems
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Citron Tree battle management center
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 19% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public Israel Aerospace Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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See how it stacks up
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Diehl Defence IRIS-T SLM Frequently asked questions
What is the engagement range of the Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2 has a maximum engagement range of 90 km.
What is the main armament of the Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2's primary weapon is the Arrow 2 interceptor missile.
What is the Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2 used for? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2 is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2 cost? +
Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow 2: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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