The Ministry of Defense of the State of Israel and the United States Department of Defense have co-signed an agreement to cooperatively develop a high-altitude Arrow-3 interceptor and to integrate it with Israel's missile defense systems.

This new Upper-Tier Project Agreement will give Israel the capability to engage ballistic missile threats at maximum range, and the ability to intercept weapons of mass destruction outside the earth's atmosphere.

Together with other Israeli missile defense systems, an upper tier interceptor will provide integrated, multi-layered, defenses providing Israeli forces with multiple interception opportunities of in-bound ballistic missiles.

Signing for the State of Israel was Rear Admiral Ophir Shoham, Director of Defense Research and Development. The United States signatory was Army Lieutenant General Patrick J. O'Reilly, Director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

The agreement continues the long and accomplished history of cooperation between the State of Israel and the United States in the area of missile defense technology.