BICOM

Israel’s Defence Ministry announced yesterday that an advanced test of the David’s Sling anti-missile system had been conducted successfully and that the system could be operational within a year.

It was the third interception test for the system, also known as the Magic Wand, which is designed to counter medium-range heavy rockets and missiles. Developed jointly by Israel’s Rafael and US company Raytheon, the tests which were completed yesterday were carried out under the auspices of Israel’s Defence Ministry and the American Missile Defence Agency. A target missile was detected by a radar system, which transferred the information to a management centre, launching David’s Sling, which “destroyed the target as planned” according to a statement.

According to Israel’s Defence Ministry, “The success of the test marks an important milestone in Israel’s operational capability to defend itself against the type of threats that are expected in the area.” Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon commented, “The testing stage for the system was very important,” and said that Israel’s Air Force could be equipped with David’s Sling batteries by the start of 2016.

The testing comes just days after IDF Home Front Command issued a new assessment which warned that in a future conflict with Hezbollah, up to 1,500 rockets could be fired on Israel daily, causing significant injuries and damage. Hezbollah is thought to have approximately 100,000 rockets at its disposal. The possibility of large-scale Hezbollah rocket fire would pose a significant challenge to the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which effectively snuffed out the threat of Hamas’s short-range rockets from Gaza during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge.

David’s Sling is designed to combat the medium-range scope of Hezbollah’s armoury. It is part of Israel’s multi-layered missile defence system. The Iron Dome protects against short-range rockets while David’s Sling combats medium-range projectiles. Meanwhile, the Arrow system, also developed in partnership with the United States, is designed to protect against long-range ballistic missiles.