"David sling" interceptor

　　"David sling" air defense missile system

　　According to recent Israeli media reports, the Russian military has acquired one of Israel’s most advanced air defense missiles, which was launched into Syria by Israel’s new air defense missile system "David Slingshot". The media in the United States and Israel are worried that this increases the possibility of Russia finding a way to defeat this cutting-edge system. The United States and Israel are more worried that Russia may share relevant information with Iran.

　　Text/Guangzhou Daily All-Media Reporter Wen Junhua compiled

　　The missile didn’t explode due to technical error.

　　According to reports, the Russian military acquired the missile in July 2018, when the Syrian side launched a Russian-made missile from the Kashi tactical base in Toki, Russia. After calculating the path of incoming missiles, Israel waited until the last minute to launch two anti-missile missiles using the "David Slingshot" air defense missile system. According to the report, this is the first known operational use of the system.

　　After that, the computer of Israel’s air defense system decided that the incoming missiles did not pose a threat to Israel, so it sent a self-destruction signal to the anti-missile missiles. One of the missiles was successfully detonated in the southern part of the Golan Heights in northern Israel, but the other missile did not explode due to technical errors and landed intact in Syria.

　　At that time, the IDF defended the deployment of interceptor missiles, saying that its troops had taken the right action in a short time.

　　However, the Israeli military said that for security reasons, it was impossible to disclose the technical reasons why the missile failed to hit the target.

　　It is reported that the missile was recovered by the Syrian military and handed over to the Russian military, which has taken it to Moscow for research. Although Israel and the United States asked Russia to return the rocket, they did not get a response. However, neither Russia nor the Israel Defense Forces have confirmed the report that the missile fell into Russia’s hands.

　　"David threw a stone at the rope"

　　"David sling" is jointly developed by Israeli military giant Rafael Advanced Defense System Company and Raytheon Company of the United States. It is the latest medium-and long-range air defense and anti-missile missile system in Israel, aiming to make up for the loopholes in the Arrow long-range missile defense system and the Iron Dome short-range missile defense system. The system can not only intercept unmanned aerial vehicles, but also be especially suitable for intercepting short-range ballistic missiles of Scud and iskander class, which are common in the Middle East. Together with the longer-range Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 and the shorter-range Barak 8 and Iron Dome air defense missile systems, it can build a complete and rigorous anti-missile system.

　　It is reported that since 2009, the United States has provided Israel with about $250 million in R&D funding every year, and the core components are provided by companies such as Raytheon.

　　"David’s sling" is equipped with "Starner" two-stage interceptor missile, which adopts the world’s new rocket technology, has a polar rocket with a large specific impulse and a re-ignitable diode rocket. The interceptor missile has a maximum range of 300 kilometers, a shooting height of 30,000-70,000 meters and a maximum speed of 7.5 times the speed of sound.

　　The missile is provided with long-range early warning and guidance by Herta’s EL/M-2084 active phased array radar, and is guided by dual-color imaging infrared photoelectric and millimeter-wave radar. It has advanced anti-electronic and anti-infrared jamming capabilities, the ability to change and re-lock the target in the middle, the high-speed wireless data transmission, the automatic integration into the combat system, and even the real-time reception of flight overflight information from airlines to avoid accidental injury.

　　Russia may study undamaged missiles to improve the system.

　　"This is of course a problem. If I were a senior manager of Lafar Advanced Defense Systems, I would be very nervous now. " Williams, deputy director of the missile defense program of the Center for Strategic International Studies in the United States, said in an interview with the American media.

　　Williams said that what worries the United States and Israel more is that Russia may not only copy the system for its own use, but also share information with Iran. "If Iran seizes this opportunity, they may have the same system in two years." He said.

　　Steven Norwich, an expert of the US-Russia Committee on International Affairs, also pointed out that Russia may use this missile to improve its own system, including "offensive performance and defensive performance". "As far as the air defense interception system is concerned, Russia is not ‘ Lazy man ’ They do have very advanced and sophisticated interception systems, such as S-300, S-400 and S-500 systems. " Stefanovic said.

　　It is reported that when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Sochi, Russia on October 12, Putin said that Russia attached special importance to cooperation with Israel in the security field. "I want to tell you frankly that our relationship on security issues has reached a new height mainly due to your efforts and military cooperation."

　　Putin said that the interaction between the two sides is very important. Netanyahu also told the media afterwards that his direct contact with Putin avoided the conflict between Israel and Russia in Syria.