What is David's Sling, Israel's defence against Hezbollah's rain of missiles?

On Wednesday, Hezbollah shot a ballistic missile at Israel.

The Lebanon-based terror group said the Qader-1 missile was aimed at Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv – where they believe the pager attacks had been planned.

However, Israel’s defence forces said they intercepted the Qader-1 missile with their David’s Sling defence system and that there were no reports of deaths or injuries in the attack.

The Qader-1 surface-to-surface missile is known for its accuracy and payload.

But what do we know about David’s Sling?

Let’s take a closer look:

The David’s Sling is part of Israel’s air defence system.

As per Jerusalem Post, it was previously known as the “Magic Wand.”

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It began being developed in 2006.

A joint effort of US firm Raytheon and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it was declared fully operational in 2017.

It was developed under the direction of the “Homa” Missile Directorate at Israel’s Defense Ministry.

It sits above the Iron Dome and Iron Beam and below the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missiles.

As per The Print, the David’s Sling is at the heart of Israel’s air defences.

As per the Raytheon website, David’s Sling is built to work against tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets, enemy planes, drones and cruise missiles, including the Scud missiles.

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It comprises the multi-pulse Stunner missile, which uses sophisticated sensors and control systems and an active electronically scanned array (AESA) multi-mission radar for targeting and guidance.

It comes with a vertical launcher – which comes a dozen stunner missiles – which lets the missile hit the target.

The stunner missile comes without a warhead – it relies on impact to destroy targets.

It has been shown to negate all short-range ballistic missiles – which comprise 92 percent of the world’s inventory of missiles.

Each interceptor costs over $1 million, as per Jerusalem Post.

As per Inews.co.uk, it can intercept targets up to 300 kilometres away including the latest Russian Iskander and the Chinese DF-15 ballistic missiles.

As per Washington Post, it can intercept targets at an altitude of 14.4 kilometres.

The control system was developed by Elbit, while its radar was developed by Elta – a division of the Israel Aerospace Industries.

In 2018, David’s Sling failed in its first interception attempt of two missiles fired from Syria.

As per Jerusalem Post, this is perhaps why the Air Force’s air defense system decided to try it this time to see if it fared any better.

Finland has also bought the Sling’s Blade after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Finland in 2023 said it would buy the Sling’s Blade in a $345 million deal.

Finland has the option to increase it to $600 million.

As Dr Yehoshua Kalisky of the Institute for National Security Studies, explained to the Globes website why the David Sling is perfect for intercepting low-altitude missiles.

“A missile launched from Lebanon to Israel does not reach an altitude outside the atmosphere. A ballistic missile launched from Yemen, for example, climbs to the edge of the atmosphere, an altitude of over 100 kilometers, to reach its target. It therefore has to be intercepted by a long-range interceptor, Arrow 2 or Arrow 3, which have ranges of over 2,000 kilometers and can intercept a threat a long way from Israel. Since the distance is shorter, the missile launched by Hezbollah flies at a lower altitude, and so David’s Sling provides the appropriate response. It is designed for hit-to-kill at an altitude of 50-70 kilometers,” Kalisky said.

With inputs from agencies