US Government approves sale of Israeli David’s Sling air defense missile system to Finland.

On August 3, the Israel Ministry of Defense announced that it expresses its gratitude to the American government for approving the historic sale of the David Sling’s air defense system, jointly developed by Israel and the U.S., to a third country. After receiving approval from the U.S. administration, the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the Finnish Ministry of Defence, and Rafael Advanced Systems will participate in a ceremony to sign a procurement agreement worth approximately 316 million Euros.
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An interceptor missile is launched in the final December 2015, which ended successfully with the interceptor destroying its target. The Israeli Missile Defense Agency declared the system "operational" and the Israeli Air Defense Command started to assimilate "Sharvit Ksmaim" (Magic Wand) (Picture source: Wikipedia/U.S. Missile Defense Agency)

On August 2, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir and Director of the IMoD Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D), Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Daniel Gold, were notified by the U.S. Department of State about the administration’s decision to approve Finland’s procurement of the David’s Sling weapon system. The Director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), Mr. Moshe Patel, led the process together with counterparts from the Finnish Ministry of Defence.

“David’s Sling” is a missile defense system that is co-developed and co-produced by the Israel Ministry of Defense’s IMDO and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The industrial team is led by Rafael Advanced Systems. The system intercepts advanced threats including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones and more.

Under the procurement agreement, Israel will sell the David's Sling Weapon System to Finland, which includes Israeli-U.S. co-produced interceptors and Israeli-produced missile launchers and radar systems. The Finnish version of the system will be jointly developed by Israeli and American industries, led by Rafael Advanced Systems and Raytheon Technologies Cooperation, in partnership with Finnish industries, each contributing to specific tasks. The system will be integrated into Finland's command and control systems.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: “The approval granted by the U.S. government today for the sale of the David’s Sling, a co-developed system by Israel and the United States, marks a significant step towards the realization of a historic agreement between Israel and Finland.

Thanks to groundbreaking technologies developed by the defense industry’s brightest minds such as David’s Sling, we are able to bolster our ties with countries around the world, strengthen our security, and enhance Israel’s global position. I would like to thank the Finnish government and my colleague, the Finnish Minister of Defence Mr. Antti Häkkänen, for their trust placed in the Israeli defense establishment and industry. I’m confident that this agreement will constitute a new milestone in the cooperation between our countries that will improve our response to global and regional threats. I’d like to extend my gratitude to my esteemed colleague, General Lloyd Austin, the United States Secretary of Defense, and the American administration for their support in this important agreement.”

Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir: “The Israeli Ministry of Defense would like to express its gratitude to the American government for approving the sale of David's Sling weapon system to Finland, a system that was jointly developed by Israel and the United States. The Israel Ministry of Defense will closely cooperate with the U.S. government throughout the entire process. We are hopeful that Finland's expression of confidence in the Israeli missile defense system, along with the American approval of the sale, will encourage additional European countries to enhance cooperation with Israel's defense establishment and defense industries."

Director of the DDR&D, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Daniel Gold: “The David's Sling Weapon System has been operational since 2017 and plays a significant role in the State of Israel's multi-tiered air and missile defense array. We take pride in Finland's choice of the Israeli-American system and are pleased by the United States' approval to move forward. We are now focusing on finalizing the agreement in the near future."

Chairman of Rafael, Dr. Yuval Steinitz: "We welcome the American approval for the sale of the "David's Sling" system to Finland and thank the Israeli Ministry of Defense for promoting and supporting the project. The advanced "David's Sling" system has drawn great interest in the world due to its unique, advanced capabilities and we are very proud of its development. After already becoming operational in Israel, the system will significantly enhance Finland's air defense capabilities and we anticipate more agreements in the future."

Interception test of the David's Sling air defense system on March 19, 2019 (Picture source: Israel MoD)

David’s Sling air defense system

David's Sling (formerly known as Magic Wand), is an Israel Defense Forces military system jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon, designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 to 300 km (25 to 190 mi). David's Sling is meant to replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot in the Israeli arsenal.

The system's Stunner missile is designed to intercept the newest generation of tactical ballistic missiles at low altitudes, such as the Russian Iskander and the Chinese DF-15 using on-board dual CCD/IR seekers to distinguish between decoys and the actual warhead of the missile, in addition to tracking by Elta EL/M-2084 Active electronically scanned array multi-mode radar. The multi-stage interceptor consists of a solid-fuel rocket motor booster, followed by an asymmetrical kill vehicle with advanced steering for super-maneuverability during the kill stage. A three-pulse motor provides additional acceleration and maneuverability during the terminal phase. David's Sling became operational in April 2017.

David's Sling was meant to bolster the second tier of Israel's theater missile defense system. The name David's Sling comes from the biblical story of David and Goliath. It forms one level of Israel's future multi-tiered missile defense system, which also includes Arrow 2, Arrow 3, Iron Dome, and Iron Beam.

Defense News August 2023