Shields Against the Sky: Air and Missile Defense from the Starstreak to the Arrow 3

Starstreak is a British short-range surface-to-air missile that can be shoulder-fired or mounted on vehicles. After launch it accelerates past Mach 4, then releases three laser beam-riding submunitions to improve the chance of a hit. It has served with the British Army since 1997.

Iron Beam replaces the interceptor missile with a laser. Developed by Rafael and Elbit Systems, it is meant to destroy short-range rockets, artillery shells and mortar bombs at up to about ten kilometers and to complement the longer-range Iron Dome. It was officially deployed in December 2025.

Akash is an Indian medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile system that can engage aircraft up to 45 kilometers away, including fighter jets and cruise missiles. The Air Force inducted its variant in 2012 and the Army in 2015, and Armenian forces operate it as Lusan.

David's Sling was built by Rafael and Raytheon to intercept aircraft, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, rockets and cruise missiles at ranges from 40 to 300 kilometers. It became operational in April 2017 and is intended to replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot in Israeli service.

The S-400 Triumf is a Russian mobile system against aircraft and ballistic missiles that evolved from the S-300 family. It was approved for service on 28 April 2007 and took combat duty that August. Its 40N6 missile is reported to reach about 400 kilometers, and the system has been exported and used in Syria and Ukraine.

THAAD is an American anti-ballistic missile system that works against short, medium and intermediate range missiles in their terminal phase. Its interceptor carries no warhead and destroys the target by direct impact. It was developed after the Iraqi Scud attacks of the 1991 Gulf War and first deployed in May 2008.

The SM-3 is fired from United States Navy ships as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Its Block IIA variant reaches 1,200 kilometers, the second longest range among United States Missile Defense Agency anti-ballistic interceptors. It has been used once against a satellite in low Earth orbit, and Japan operates it too.

Arrow 3 is an exoatmospheric interceptor developed jointly by Israel and the United States to destroy ballistic missiles, including those with nuclear, chemical or biological warheads, outside the atmosphere. Its kill vehicle can divert sharply, and its reported flight range is up to 2,400 kilometers.