Click to see the full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
The wreckage of an interceptor missile found in southern Israel on April 7 provided the first evidence that the country’s multi-layered air defense network is facing a shortage.
Video footage of the wreckage, determined to belong to a Stunner interceptor fired from a David’s Sling air defense system, surfaced online just a few hours before the United States announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Israel voiced its support of the ceasefire, which came 39 days after the start of the war on the Islamic Republic.
The interceptor, found in the Arab Bedouin town of Tel Sheva, carried markings indicating that it was only produced in January of this year.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
This indicates that Israel burned through most of its Stunner stockpiles, and was using interceptors produced just a few months before the start of the war on Iran.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
David’s Sling was jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon. It became operational in 2017.
The air defense system is designed to intercept planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 to 300 kilometers.
The Stunner is equipped with dual CCD/IR and active radar seekers especially designed to distinguish between decoys and the actual warhead of the missile. The missile also receives tracking data from Elta EL/M-2084 active electronically scanned array multi-mode radar.
The multi-stage interceptor consists of a solid-fuel rocket motor booster, followed by an asymmetrical kill vehicle with advanced steering for super-maneuverability during the kill-stage. A three-pulse motor provides additional acceleration and maneuverability during the terminal phase.
A single interceptor costs upwards of $1 million, and while the production rate is kept under tight wraps, the complexity of the missile suggests that only a few dozens are produced a month, at best.
David’s Sling forms the middle tier of Israel’s multi-layer air defense capabilities, which also include the short-range Iron Beam and Iron Dome, and a top tier of Arrow systems especially designed to engage long-range ballistic missiles.
Just two weeks into the war, reports of shortage of interceptors, practically in Israel, began to emerge. The Israeli military denied this, however.
Later reports revealed, however, that the Israeli military began limiting its use of its most advanced missile interceptors, in favor of on upgraded but less capable systems
The Israeli air defense network leaned heavily on the Arrow system to counter Iranian ballistic missiles at the start of the war. However, according to one report by The Wall Street Journal, the Israelis later began conserving these high-end interceptors, turning instead to enhanced versions of David’s Sling and even Iron Dome for threats they were not originally designed to handle.
An analytic report released earlier by The Jerusalem Post concluded that the David’s Sling, while highly effective against shorter range missiles, has failed against heavier ones.
This shortage was likely a key contributing factor to Israel’s decision to accept the two-week ceasefire with Iran announced by the U.S.
Israel will likely attempt to replenish its stockpile during the ceasefire. However, two weeks will not likely be enough to produce any meaningful number of interceptors.
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that would be hilarious if they were down to using practice missiles.
shity shitrael, started a war it cannot sustain. with jews, you lose
the problem with them is they are still controlling the west and able to make dumb americans doathe fighting for them. i stood with israel, picture a american soldier who lost both his legs while the israeli settlers spit in his face our greatest ally.
these pathetic jews need to loose their grip on power in our countries and governments.
and all funding to the zionist colonial project needs to end.
jews are professional v ictims. they commit a crime and then when people come after them they c ry out in p ain as th ey strike you.
its time all these reparations holo pensions these kikes extort from us are cancelled. magically the holo surviver population keeps increasing so many years after the war. were the russians germans poles czech ukranians hungarians finns romanians croats serbs and any other europeanever compensated for the crim es commited in ww2 no. juus capitalize vi ctimhood.
professional identity thieves
they just lie. iranian missiles went thru this bs multi layered shitass defence.
aa a retired aericunt burger flipper i can verify that americunt anuz frequently intercepts hebrew jizz
this war has shown the usa to be an ineffective military unit, its way behind russia and china and by some distance if not also north korea and iran also
manpads have killed helicopters and ground attack aircrafts effectiveness.
ads has emasculated all non stealth aircraft, and now targeting the stealth ones.
ballistic missiles. modern cruise missiles and hypersonic projectiles have killed surface navy’s
fpv drones have negated tanks ifv apcs
shows how desperate israel had become that they accepted the 2 week ceasefire. and iran now knows they were running on fumes.
its time the flow of oil from azerbaijan through turkish ports to israel gets severed. turkey needs to stop fueling the genocide in gaza. make israel run out of oil thats the most effective way to end their warmachine and dismantle their army in the quickest manner.
make them run on fumes literally. end the oil to the zionist regime.