David’s Sling Air-Defense System:
Israel recently confirmed using its David’s Sling air-defense system to intercept a Hamas rocket.
- David’s Sling is an Israeli medium-range air defense system designed to defeat short-range ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets, and cruise missiles.
- Co-developed with the United States, it occupies middle part of Israel’s sophisticated and multi-layer air-defense network, between the point-defense Iron Dome and upper-tier Arrow systems.
- It incorporates a vertical missile firing unit, a fire control radar, a battle management/operator station, and the Stunner interceptor.
- Each firing unit can hold up to 12 missiles.
- It is designed to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles at ranges of 40 to 300 km.
- It uses a three-pulse solid propellant motor to reach speeds of up to Mach 7.5; its first two pulses accelerate the missile through its initial trajectory while the third activates to maneuver the interceptor and increase speed prior to intercept.
- Unlike Iron Dome’s, Stunner has no warhead, defeating targets by striking them directly.
- Each Stunner missile costs an estimated $1 million to produce.
