Joint missile defence exercise “Juniper Cobra” to be held soon

13:23 GMT, April 15, 2009 Israel and the United States will hold their largest-ever joint missile defence drills later this year, testing three anti-ballistic missile systems, The Jerusalem Post reported yesterday. The “Juniper Cobra” exercise will be held for the fifth time, however this year’s drill is likely to be the most complex yet and will for the first time include the launch of interceptors.

The joint exercise will see three different ballistic missile defence systems in a joint test: The Israeli Arrow 2 (Hetz) system as well as the U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) and the ship-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence System, the newspaper said. All three systems are intended to launch interceptors during this test. Beyond that U.S. AN/TPY-2 X-band surveillance and fire-control radar will detect and track the theatre ballistic missiles.

Israeli defence said that the purpose of the exercise is to create the necessary infrastructure that would enable interoperability between Israeli and American BMD systems. This interoperability could allow to place U.S. systems in Israel in the event of a conflict with Iran. The manoeuvres should proof the interoperability capacities of the communications and command and control systems of the different systems.

US Missile Defense Agency director Lt.-Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly said that during this exercise the U.S. and Israeli systems will "demonstrate the interoperability and develop operational tactics, techniques and procedures associated with this coalition architecture".

Missile and rockets defence is a big issue in Israel since Iran continues to allegedly pursue a nuclear capability. Beyond that the threat of attack from Syria and militants in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is still immanent. In the last weeks Israel successfully tested “Iron Dome” system designed to provide protection against short-range missiles and rockets such as Qassams and Grad as well as the newly upgraded Arrow II missile defence system developed to intercept medium and long-range rockets and ballistic missiles such as the Iranian Shahab series.

During his recent Washington visit, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak announced that Washington would soon link Israel to two advanced missile detection systems that would strengthen Israel's preparedness against any missile threat.

The Pentagon has also agreed to install a powerful radar system in Israel in the coming months. Israeli officials described the system as capable of tracking an object the size of a baseball from about 4,700 kilometres away; it would enable Arrow to engage an Iranian Shahab-3 ballistic missile about halfway through what would be its 11-minute flight to Israel (mid-course interception).

“Juniper Cobra” is organized by the Israel Air Force's Air Defense Division, the US Missile Defense Agency and the US Military's European Command (EUCOM). The previous exercise had the focus to integrate the use of the US Army's Patriot PAC-3 system with the Israeli Arrow system. However, this year’s drill will for the first time include the THAAD system.

No date for the fifth drill has been released yet.