Visitors watch a demonstration at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth in the IMDEX Asia maritime defense exhibition in Singapore, May 19, 2015. Photo: Reuters / Edgar Su.

Israeli state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced on Monday that it has successfully tested a new long-range air defense missile that can take out airborne threats at a range of 150 kilometers, or 93 miles.

The IAI said that it has completed a series of successful live firing trials with the Barak air defense system, which tested the system’s capabilities in a range of scenarios and threats — including the interception of an assaulting ballistic target by the Barak extended range (ER) interceptor.

Israel has been boosting its deterrence as it weighs the potential risks of Iranian aggression. Earlier this year, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly deployed an Iron Dome air defense battery in the southern Israeli Red Sea city of Eilat amid threats that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen could reach the city with long-range cruise missiles.

“The evolution of airborne threats across the globe, combined with geopolitical changes, requires an advanced, agile, and versatile air defense system. The BARAK system was operationally proven against countless threats, including some of the most challenging ones today,” said IAI president and CEO Boaz Levy. “The trial series we completed today enhances the proven capabilities against wider range of threats. The successful trial further demonstrates the robustness of the BARAK system’s based on IAI’s innovation, technological capabilities and decades of experience in developing air defense systems.”

“The combination of several interceptors in a unified launcher and the inherent modularity of the BARAK system provide an optimal response for the future battlefield, offering the forces unprecedented operational agility and flexibility,” Levy added.

The IAI’s Barak ER missile is part of the Barak family of interceptors of various ranges. The range was extended in part by adjusting the interceptor and MMR radar capabilities to a 150 km range. The missile is launched vertically and includes a booster, a dual-pulse rocket motor, and an advanced radar homing seeker.

The ER interceptor can reach an altitude of 30 kilometers and has a launcher with eight missiles. It can be deployed on land or at sea against threats including fighter jets, missiles, drones, helicopters and gliding bombs.