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David's Sling passes final round of tests
[Ynet] Air defense system, capable of intercepting medium-range missiles, low-flying aircraft or cruise missiles, is now on course for deployment within the next four months.David's Sling is designed to shoot down rockets with ranges of 100 to 200 km (63 to 125 miles), aircraft, or low-flying cruise missiles. It will fill the operational gap between the Iron Dome short-range rocket interceptor and the Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, both already in service. The three systems incorporate a network of radar-guided interceptors designed to shoot down everything from the low-flying, Katyusha-style rockets of Hezbollah and Paleostinian guerrillas to the ballistic Shehab and Scud missiles of Iran and Syria. The final test of the air defense system was conducted on Monday morning in a test field in southern Israel ahead of its delivery to the Air Force in the next four months. The system is scheduled to become operational in the coming year. The IDF will deploy four David's Sling batteries, with the Air Force receiving two in the first stage. The batteries could either operate from one permanent location, similar to the Arrow air defense system, or be mobile, allowing the military to deploy it wherever needed, similar to the Iron Dome air defense system. David's Sling is being developed and manufactured jointly by Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd and Raytheon Co, a top US arms maker. Rafael also makes Iron Dome, which has been extensively bankrolled by the US Congress. Israel and the United States say Iron Dome batteries have proven capable of shooting down around 90 percent of Paleostinian rockets fired from Gazoo. Posted by: trailing wife 2015-12-22 |
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