Posted on 11/20/2013 1:42:10 PM PST by Former Fetus
Experts who took part in the test of the David's Sling anti-missile system david sling test successfulWednesday were elated at its success, according to a report by Maariv's Yochai Ofer.
Pini Yungman, who heads the Missile Defense Systems Authority in Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said the test, in which an interceptor missile brought down a missile fired in simulation of an enemy attack, had made "history."
"We have developed 'next generation' technology here for a system that will provide a solution for future threats. You could say that all of the systems worked perfectly. The jewel in the crown is the interceptor, which carries technologies that do not exist yet anywhere else in the world."
Yair Ramati, from the Homa Administration, which is in charge of the project on behalf of the Defense Ministry, said that when the interception of the missile succeeded, "you could see doctors jumping up and down as if they were at a Beitar Yerushalayim [soccer] game. Even the American team shed tears. It was a blast you couldn't miss."
"The Israel Missile Defense Organisation and the US Missile Defense Agency completed a successful intercept test of the David's Sling Weapon System (DSWS) against a short-range ballistic missile today," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"This is the second intercept test of the Stunner interceptor for the DSWS. The intercept test was conducted at a test range in southern Israel," it added, without specifying where.
The first such test took place in November 2012.
"The DSWS is designed as an additional layer of defense against ballistic missiles, to add interception opportunities to the joint US-Israel Arrow Weapon System and to improve the active defence architecture of the State of Israel against missile threats," the defense ministry said.
The Arrow, a cutting-edge system designed to counter long-range missiles, has successfully intercepted missiles comparable to Iran's Shihab-3 in a variety of test conditions.
David's Sling, which Israeli television said is designed to intercept missiles fired from a distance of 50 to 250 kilometres (30 to 155 miles), is meant to bridge the gap between Arrow and Iron Dome.
Expected to be ready for deployment in 2014, it is being developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and US company Raytheon.
David’s Sling! Love that name!
We need one of these installed on every aircraft carrier.
Thats one response to the Chinese anti-ship SRBMs
Beat me to it - what a great name! Do they have “smooth stone” rockets to go in it?
I like it too. But it seems misapplied. David's sling wasn't a defensive weapon that was used to block attacks. It was a deadly weapon that struck a highly accurate deathblow to David's enemies.
Maybe there is an offensive capability here they aren't telling us about.
Well... it was a “knockout” or “knockdown” blow.
The giant’s own sword provided the means for the death blow.
I like the way you put that.
Over 100 US and allied ships (i.e., Ticonderogas & Arleigh Burkes) carry the Aegis anti-Air/Missile system, including RIM 161 & RIM 174:
More weeping and gnashing of teeth in the homes of 0bamaites, liberals and the halls of the UN.
But that system is not adequate to intercept anti-ship ballistic missiles even as point-defense.
If it were that easy the anti-missile problem would have been solved long ago.
Thank you again President Reagan.
Various articles don't give a speed for David's Sling, but it will replace the US Patriot anti-missile which Wikipedia says is Mach 5.
Israel also has the Arrow 3, a longer range anti-missile equivalent to the US RIM 161 which Wikipedia says hits high hypersonic speeds (Mach 10?).
The US today has nearly 100 anti-missile ships, each of which can carry nearly 100 anti-missile missiles, equal to or better than those of Israel.
So we're looking at the potential to deploy 10,000 anti-missiles on ships, to protect our carriers & other assets.
That's why I don't know where this idea comes from, that our guys can't defend themselves.
David's Sling anti-missile, equivalent to US Patriot:
Israeli Arrow 3 anti-missile, equivalent to US RIM 174:
Except Obama was pretty PO'd when he heard the news.
Good point.
I would like some sort of analysis of where we stand vs SRBM’s with the Standard missile system variants. One hears of this being deployed in small numbers or maybe, possibly, sometime in the future, but I don’t have any idea of where it stands now. Is it on some ships, all ships (those with Aegis and VLS) or what ?
The Israelis are more forthcoming with their progress on this stuff.
This missile looks like it was meant for portable deployment on vehicles. This suggests that it can be navalized with a box launcher and with a radar system add-on. The Standard missile/Aegis system basically requires that a ship be built around it. Thats fine if there are enough properly equipped escorts in a carrier group, but I can see where it may prove inadequate to a saturation attack.
I don't even know what that term "saturation attack" means -- 10 missiles, 100 missiles?
If our carrier group in a danger zone has ten missile destroyers with nearly 100 anti-missiles each, and each ship has additional close-in systems for shooting down missiles which make it through longer-range defense, then how many bad-guy missiles are needed to "saturate" such defenses?
This surely brings to mind the old Spartans at Thermopylae: when told the Persians have so many archers their arrows will block the sun, Leonidas responded, "good, then we will fight in the shade, hooah".
Our guys might have to fight in the shade, as in effect, they did at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.
But what enemy would want to start nuclear World War Three against the most powerful military on the planet?
If youd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
Quick! Leak some classified information to Iran or the media. Either one will do!
Yessir, Mr. President.
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