David’s Sling Is the Middle Layer of Israel’s Air Defense

The David’s Sling defense system was designed to counter the threat of medium to long-range rockets.

Israel’s multilayered air defenses have been put to the test in recent years, especially following Hamas’ massacre on October 7, 2023. The Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2, and Arrow 3 provide Israel with the security required to thwart the slew of hostile adversaries that surround the country. Iranian-backed proxy groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen frequently launch barrages targeting civilian centers in Israel. Working together, the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 2/3 systems save countless lives as projectiles including rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and missiles are detected, intercepted, and shot down. For medium to long-range defense requirements, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deploy David’s Sling.

A brief history of David’s Sling

The name David’s Sling is derived from the biblical account of David and Goliath. Like David, Israel is dwarfed in size by its hostile neighbors. Despite this fact, Israel has persevered since its 1948 founding in a show of strength reminiscent of David’s survival against Goliath against all odds. David’s Sling was jointly developed by IDF contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon back in 2009. The formidable air defense system is relatively new to Israel’s arsenal as it specifically became operational in 2017.

Acting as the middle tier layer in defense between the Iron Dome and Arrow systems, the David’s Sling defense system was designed to be able to counter the threat of medium to long-range rockets with ranges between 43 and 155 miles. The weapon system is equipped with a vertical missile firing unit, a battle management/operator station, an EML-2084 fire control radar, and a Stunner interceptor. As detailed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Stunner can intercept targets at ranges up to 155 miles and at altitudes of up to 9 miles. Notably, Stunner’s propulsion coupled with its sharp steering maximizes keep-out altitude to reduce collateral damage that can result from debris in the interception.

Controlled completely by aerodynamics, the Stunner missile can alter its trajectory while in flight and can retarget via command or automatically. Notably, the two-stage Stunner missile has no warhead and takes out incoming ballistic missiles with the sheer force of impact. According to Raytheon, the Stunner is proven to defeat at least 92 percent of the worldwide theater ballistic missile threat inventory, along with the SkyCeptor variant of the weapon.