The Delilah is a short-range, road-mobile, air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile developed by Israel. Although originally developed as a UAV decoy, the Delilah was modified into a lightweight, anti-radar missile.

Delilah Development

The name ‘Delilah’ was originally designated to an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program that started in the late 1970s.¹ Israel originally designed the UAV as an air-launched decoy for attack aircraft. After the Israeli Air Force (IAF) suffered heavy losses to Egyptian and Syrian antiaircraft systems in the Yom Kippur War, the decoy concept was scrapped in favor of a weapon that could directly neutralize air defenses.²

The missile entered service in early 1994. It was originally fitted to the F-4 Phantom aircraft. Over time, however, variants of the missile have been adapted to fit the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Super Phantom, the F-16D Brakeet, and the F-161 Sufa.³ A typical F-16D Delilah loadout includes up to two missiles, one under each wing. Additionally, the Delilah has reportedly been fitted to the F-4E Kurnass.⁴

Originally an air-launched cruise missile, Israel has since developed ground-, helicopter-, and ship-launched variants. While upgraded versions of the missile are visually identical to the original air frame, the IAF claims the differences between models engineered in Israel are “so fundamental that they can be seen as totally different kinds of missile.”⁵

Today, the Delilah possesses an ability to search for, identify, and loiter over targets. The ability to loiter, more commonly associated with UAVs, gives the missile’s operator the option to perform multiple passes over a target before committing to an attack. Loitering, moreover, makes it easier to locate camouflaged or moving targets, such as mobile air defense and artillery platforms.⁶

Specifications

The Delilah has a length of 2.71 m, a body diameter of 0.33 m, and a launch weight of 185 kg. The missile has a maximum range between 250-300 km and carries payloads between 30-54 kg.⁷ Although all variants have a BS-175 turbojet engine, the ground- and ship-launched variants are also equipped with a solid propellant booster. If Delilah is similar to other Israeli loitering munitions, like the Israeli Harpy, it may be able to loiter above a target for up to several hours.⁸ The system modulates its speed between Mach 0.3 and Mach 0.7 to extend its loitering time over targets.

The missile is guided by inertial and GPS navigation systems, and uses a coupled-charged device (CCD)/imaging infrared (IIR) seeker for terminal guidance. A CCD is used in imagery technologies to convert light energy from photons, measured in electrical charge, into voltage measurements that can be stored and transferred digitally. Delilah employs target auto-tracking technology and a two-way datalink that enables the missile to send and receive flight and targeting information to and from the operator, a key enabler for loitering munitions. The missile reportedly has an accuracy of 1 m CEP.⁹

Service History

Israel used the the missile in combat for the first time in July and August 2006. The IAF fired a Delilah missile from a F-16D aircraft, targeting a convoy of trucks suspected of transporting weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.¹⁰