The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have commenced the development of the Arrow 4 anti-missile defense system, the Ministry of Defense announced Thursday.

The Arrow 4 will be the next generation of the Arrow missile defense system, which currently includes the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors.

The Arrow 4 is described as an interceptor projectile “with upgraded capabilities” that “will address a wide range of future threats, and is planned to replace the Arrow 2 interceptor in the coming decades.”

The Arrow system is meant to intercept long-range missiles. The Arrow 3 provides outer-atmospheric interception of ballistic missiles, supplementing the Arrow 2 defensive system.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz stated Thursday that “along with the development of vital offensive capabilities, the defense establishment is constantly working to block the skies of Israel in the face of ballistic threats – under constant construction of a multi-layered array.”

The development of the Arrow 4 “will lead a technological and operational leap in the future battlefield, in the face of threats that are constantly developing in the Middle East and beyond,” he said.

Vice Adm. Jon Hill, head of the MDA, stated that the joint program “illustrates US commitment to assisting the government of Israel in upgrading its national missile defense capability to defend the State of Israel from emerging threats.”

Moshe Patel, head of the missile defense project at the Ministry of Defense, noted that the Arrow 4 development is initiated at a symbolic time, 30 years after the Gulf War, following which the administration he heads was established.

The Arrow 4 will “have exceptional flight and interception capabilities, which will ensure that the State of Israel will always be one step ahead of its enemies,” he said.

The Arrow defense system is a key component of Israel’s multi-layered rocket and missile defense system.

It consists of a powerful radar detection system, the Green Pine or Mighty Pine, and the Arrow 2 or Arrow 3 interceptors.

Arrow 2, which has been operational since 2000, serves as a protective layer intercepting incoming threats at the edge of the atmosphere, and the Arrow 3, which was delivered for operational use in 2017, is an exo-atmospheric interceptor that constitutes the top protective layer, at enormous heights and distances from the State of Israel.

The two interceptors have undergone a series of improvements in recent years and have demonstrated high operational capabilities in a series of successful interception experiments in Israel and Alaska.

The other defense layers include David’s Sling, designed to intercept mid-to-long-range ballistic missiles with ranges between 25-190 miles, and the Iron Dome defense system, which intercepts short-range targets and drones.