Tel Aviv: During the recent 12 days war with Iran, the Israeli multi-layered air defence system was successful in intercepting 86 % of the Iranian ballistic missiles. But the ones that penetrated the multi-layered air defences caused heavy damage and casualties. This has accelerated the development of the Arrow 5 interceptor in parallel to the development of the Arrow 4.
Israel is actively developing the Arrow 5 ballistic missile interceptor. This was confirmed by Boaz Levy, CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), during the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2025, where he stated that IAI is working on both the Arrow 4 and Arrow 5 as part of the ongoing evolution of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS).
The Arrow 5 will be even more advanced than the Arrow 4, that is under development, with the aim of countering evolving ballistic missile threats and maintaining Israel’s technological edge. Arrow 5’s development is meant to keep the Arrow system ahead of opponents’ capabilities, even though precise technological details have not been made public.
The Arrow 5 program, which was a “next-generation” interceptor intended to strengthen Israel’s multi-layered missile defence system, was not previously known to the public until early 2025. Since Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has not released technical specifications, there are currently few publicly available details regarding the particular capabilities of the Arrow 5 interceptor. Nonetheless, media reports and IAI leadership general statements point to a number of expected developments.
As a “next-generation” interceptor, Arrow 5 is anticipated to protect against increasingly sophisticated and dynamic ballistic missile threats, such as those with increased manoeuvrability and possibly hypersonic capabilities. As part of an ongoing upgrade strategy, the Arrow 5 builds on lessons learned from recent large-scale missile assaults against Israel by increasing the range, altitude, and types of threats intercepted with each successive version.
During the IDEX 2025, IAI’s CEO emphasised that Arrow 5 will introduce “other capabilities” to stay ahead of adversaries, suggesting improvements in sensor integration, command and control, and possibly the ability to intercept more sophisticated targets such as manoeuvrable re-entry vehicles and hypersonic glide vehicles.
Arrow 5 is expected to further enhance the multi-layered Arrow Weapon System, potentially integrating with new and existing sensors and command systems for improved detection and interception.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
