The David’s Sling Weapon System, which Israel and the United States are developing to defend the Middle Eastern nation against long-range rockets and short-range ballistic missiles, intercepted “threat-representative targets” during a recent test series, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
During the tests, which occurred at Yanat Sea Range in Israel and ended Jan. 25, the system’s multi-mission radar detected targets after launch and sent flight information to its Golden Almond battle management center, which calculated defense plans. A ground-based launcher fired Stunner interceptor missiles, which intercepted the targets, MDA said in a statement.
A video accompanying the statement shows an Israeli fighter jet launching a Black Sparrow ballistic missile target. A Stunner then lifts off and intercepts the target.
“Preliminary analysis indicates that test objectives were successfully achieved,” the statement says. “The information collected during the test is being analyzed by program engineers and will be used for ongoing development and fielding of the David’s Sling Weapon System.”
MDA said the test series was the fifth for David’s Sling. “This test campaign is a critical step in ensuring Israel has the capability to defend itself from a very real and growing threat,” said MDA’s director, Navy Vice Adm. Jim Syring.
The Israel Missile Defense Organization and MDA are developing David’s Sling. Rafael is the program’s prime contractor and Raytheon [RTN] is a subcontractor. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) developed the radar, and Elbit Systems [ESLT] provided the Golden Almond.
David’s Sling is a new part of Israel’s multi-layered missile defenses, which also include the Arrow Weapon System to protect against long-range ballistic missiles and the Iron Dome system to target short-range rockets. The test announcement came a week after the Israeli Air Force received its first batch of operational Arrow-3 interceptors, a new complement to the long-deployed Arrow-2.