Israel and Finland closed a historic deal for the sale of Rafael’s «David’s Sling» air and missile defense system. Valued at approximately 317 million euros, this agreement was signed at the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
As reported by Rafael Advance Defense Systems’ press release, it was the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel (ret.) Eyal Zamir, who signed the contract for the sale of the David’s Sling air defense system to Finland.
Dignitaries present at the signing included the Ambassador of Finland to Israel, H.E. Dr. Nina Nordström, and Finnish Defence Attaché to Israel, Col. Oula Asteljoki, highlighting the significance of this collaboration. Major General (Ret.) Yoav Har-Even, CEO & President of Rafael, emphasized the pivotal role of David’s Sling in Israel’s multi-layered defense system:
«The ‘David’s Sling’ system has proven its efficacy in the ongoing conflict, safeguarding the nation and its residents. This historic export agreement reflects our commitment to advancing defense capabilities and contributing to research and development efforts for both Israel and our company. Rafael remains dedicated to fulfilling its crucial role in ensuring the security of the nation».
The slingshot that shoots down missiles
David’s Sling (also known as the Stunner or the SkyCeptor) is a joint development of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s «Wall» directorate and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), with Rafael being the company that led the development, and Raytheon being its U.S. partner.
As part of the air and missile defense umbrella that protects Israel’s skies from all types of air threats, the David´s Sling was designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft and drones, being a modular, scalable and flexible system to adapt to the area and topology to be defended.
David’s Sling (Stunner/ SkyCeptor) interceptor missile destroys its targets through the kinetic force of direct impact (hit-to-kill, has no explosive warhead). For these reasons, the interceptor has a lightweight structure and low aerodynamic drag, which gives it a superior kinematics and high maneuverability, enhanced by the adoption of multi-pulse propulsion. And thanks to its next-generation seeker, it has a high probability of impact against all the types of targets it was designed to counter.
