David's Sling deliveries begin
Israel's Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), along with the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), has started making deliveries of major components of the David's Sling aerial defence system to the Israeli Air Force (IAF), it was announced on 8 March.
Following on from the completion of testing in December 2015, the system will be delivered over the next several weeks.
The first phase of delivery is being carried out by the IMDO with an industry team led by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The first phase will see the delivery of the radar, interception and command and control systems. System components will be tested in the near future, after which the IAF will declare the system operational.
David's Sling was developed by the IAF and IMDO in collaboration with the MDA. The system, which will serve as a central part of Israel's multi-layered defence array, will add intercept opportunities for the Arrow aerial defence system and provide an additional layer of protection against medium and short range missiles and rockets - primarily precise strikes.
Rafael is the prime contractor of the David's Sling. Industry partners Raytheon Missile Systems, Elta, and Elisra are also working on the programme.
More from Land Warfare
-
Patria orders Kongsberg Protector’s for common APCs
Patria developed the Patria 6x6 APC, unveiled at the June 2018 Eurosatory exhibition, as a successor to the XA-series Pasi APC and was selected for the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme.
-
Germany orders more Patriot air defence systems
The US Army has acquired more than 1,100 launchers of which it has exported at least 200 launchers, while more than 10,000 Patriot missiles have been produced to date.
-
General Dynamics to upgrade Ukraine-bound Spanish Leopards
The 120mm-armed Leopard 2 MBT was developed in the 1970s as a replacement for the German Army’s 105mm Leopard 1s. Spain's fleet of Leopard 2A4s were originally leased from Germany for five-years but eventually purchased in 2005.
-
AUKUS members seek solutions to integrate their ground capabilities
The three countries plan to explore technologies to strengthen their collaboration in various land-related areas including artificial intelligence, autonomy, cyber, EW, hypersonic, quantum computing and logistics.