DAVID’S SLING: Israel’s new long-range missile interceptor passes test and shoots down first target

The short-range Iron Dome was very impressive last week as it protected many Israeli cities from rocket attacks by Islamic terrorists in Gaza like Hamas. Now Israel is testing a new system called David’s Sling which is a mid to long-range missile interceptor designed to compliment both the Iron Dome and the long-range Arrow system as it will take out heavier missiles like those used by Hezbollah.

Here’s an image showing the ranges of specific rockets and missiles David’s Sling is made to take intercept, if they were fired from Lebanon.

TIMES OF ISRAEL – A new mid- to long-range missile interceptor being developed by Israel successfully shot down a rocket in its first test Sunday, taking a major step toward completing Israel’s missile defense shield, the Defense Ministry said.

The David’s Sling, with an operational range of 70-200 kilometers, will complement Israel’s Iron Dome short-range and Arrow long-range missile defense systems.

The Iron Dome system became the darling of Israel last week as it shot down hundreds of rockets, often in quick succession, during the country’s eight-day engagement with the Gaza Strip.

The David’s Sling system, designed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Raytheon, is to be capable of taking down missiles with warheads of up to half a ton.

The test was conducted the same day that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened to rain down missiles on the entirety of Israel, “from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat.”

The Lebanon-based group is thought to have an arsenal of thousands of rockets and missiles, many of them supplied by Iran via Syria, that would threaten much of the country in a war. In 2006, a month-long war with the terror group saw thousands of Katyusha rockets launched against towns in Israel’s north.


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