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The IDF Soldiers Operating the Arrow Air Defense System

(Ynet News) Lior Ohana - "The Arrow system is the best in the world at intercepting ballistic missiles of this kind, especially given that no other system has faced such heavy barrages and achieved interception rates like ours," said Lt.-Col. Eyal Frankel, commander of the 136th Arrow Battalion. Life-and-death decisions have been made daily at the Arrow interception center since the war began on Oct. 7. Ultimately, one person decides when, where and how to press the button to intercept a ballistic missile launched thousands of kilometers away from Yemen or Iran. Frankel said, "On the night of the first Iranian attack, this place was packed to capacity. It was a historic moment. Dozens of people, including senior commanders, were called in to operate all these computers. People think this system is purely technological. They don't realize how much it depends on human input." A missile launched from Yemen or Iran can reach Israel within 10 minutes. During this time, detection systems must identify it and map out its threats. Within these moments, countless decisions need to be made. The Arrow 3 interceptor targets distant, high-altitude threats, requiring launch decisions within seconds. Lt. R, 21, describes her role. "I'm an interception officer. All of us have combat training - I was a combat soldier before coming here....We have just seconds to make challenging decisions and it requires a combat mindset - knowing what it's like to be called into action and function in combat within moments. It's combat, even if it's through a screen."
2025-01-14 00:00:00
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