On Dec 15, Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced the completion of a major air and missile defense exercise, employing Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow weapons systems in a series of flight tests. In the exercise, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), successfully intercepted a variety...
On March 19, the Israeli Missile Defense Organization and U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a successful “test series” of the David’s Sling Weapon System. An Israeli Ministry of Defense spokesperson indicated the trial simulated “future threats” but did not provide further details. It is unclear if the test series included live intercept tests or was...
On February 6, the U.S. Army announced its plan to purchase several Israeli Iron Dome air defense systems to fulfill a short-term need for indirect fire defense. In an official statement, the U.S. Army said that the system would “protect deployed U.S. military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial...
On January 22, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) successfully tested Israel’s Arrow 3 Weapon System in collaboration with the Israeli Air Force from a test site in central Israel. Neither the MDA press release nor Israeli reports mention the specifications of the target “long-range” ballistic missile, but Israel’s...
On July 23, the Israeli Air Defense Command fired the David’s Sling theater-range missile defense system against two Syrian SS-21 Scarab missiles estimated to be directed at Israel. The air defense system originally calculated the terminal trajectory of the Syrian missiles to be inside Israeli territory and deployed two Stunner hit-to-kill interceptors. Some time into...
Switzerland’s Ministry of Defense has earmarked 1.3-1.5 billion Swiss francs ($1.4-$1.6 billion USD) to buy a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system as part of its “Air 2030” program to improve the neutral country’s air defenses. The SAMs under consideration include: David’s Sling from Rafael, Patriot from Raytheon, and SAMP/T from Eurosam. The procurement plan is part...
Missile threats facing both the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific are increasing in complexity, number, and source. In response, the Trump administration is using missile defenses to boost military capability and signal resolve, as indicated by the deployment of THAAD to South Korea...
On April 2, Israeli officials declared operational the newest component of Israel’s layered missile defense system, David’s Sling, at Hatzor Air Force Base near Ashdod. David’s Sling was jointly developed by Israel and the United States, and represents the layer of protection in-between the lower-tier Iron Dome, and the higher-tier Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems....
The Israeli Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully completed the fifth series of tests of the David’s Sling Weapons System at Palmachim Air Base, Israel. The David’s Sling system is part of Israel’s multi-layer missile defense shield and is a collaboration between the United States and Israel designed to defend...
