Air defense

David’s Sling: New Technology Will Handle Multiple Threats

As the Rafael David’s Sling is moving towards operational status, it is the preferred option to replace the Israeli air force (IAF) Patriot missiles. David’s Sling is being developed by Rafael in cooperation with Raytheon, mainly as an interceptor of medium and long range rockets.

Designed with a capability for “classic” air defence missions, David’s Sling will probably replace the aging Patriot batteries. The IAF has evaluated the upgrade of the existing Patriot batteries to the PAC-3 configuration, but the investment is considered too big for the added capabilities.

Israeli sources said that while in many countries the aerial threat posed by aircraft is considered low, in Israel this is still a major one.