i wonder how much is the share of israel development in david slingThe David's Sling System is Ready to Meet its Goliath
"This interceptor incorporates some unique technologies that are not available anywhere else in the world." An exclusive interview with Brig. Gen. (res.) Pini Yungman, Director of the David's Sling Program at Rafael, about the development process and the system's performance
Dan Arkin | 16/06/2017
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The David's Sling system in action (Photo: Rafael)
An international, three-pointed, highly important defense transaction is currently being concocted, fairly quietly, between three countries: Israel, the USA and Poland.
The State of Israel has recently deployed the missile defense system designated David's Sling, and the first battalion of battery operators already maintains an operational duty roster. Poland, a country that has been living for the past one hundred years, at least, under a constant fear of Russia, its easterly neighbor, has been protecting itself using the Patriot missile system by Raytheon of the USA.
Raytheon is Rafael's close partner in the development and production of the interceptor of the David's Sling system – Stunner, one of the world's most advanced interceptors in its class. Apparently, this interceptor suits not just the David's Sling system by Rafael, but also Raytheon's Patriot system, and the Stunner may be integrated smartly and intelligently into the Patriot system. The aforementioned transaction focuses on the development of the next generation Patriot system that will utilize a new interceptor – the Stunner missile of the David's Sling system. This is precisely the product Poland would like to purchase.
The Poles are convinced that the Patriot system and the Stunner interceptor will fit in perfectly into Poland's air-defense system. When the development process has been completed, Poland will be the first client of this new product, and the people at Rafael are encouraged by this transaction which, in their opinion, would open major doors around the world for the benefit of both industries, Rafael of Israel and Raytheon of the USA. Raytheon has designated the Patriot system utilizing the Stunner interceptor Sky Interceptor.
So, the David's Sling system scored a dual accomplishment shortly after development had been completed: it has become a part of the defenses of the State of Israel, and an important client is already waiting to purchase a primary element of this system.
IMOD's Defense Research and Development Directorate (DDR&D, also known as MAFAT), one of the parties that had specified the operational need for the David's Sling system and a major client, had used the name Magic Wand initially. When the tender eventually awarded to Rafael had been issued, they used the name David's Sling. Now, when the system has become operational, the industries, IMOD and the IAF – the system operator – all decided to adopt the name David's Sling.
The David's Sling system was officially delivered to the IAF just before the end of last year. The first generation of officers, technicians and operator-troopers was trained using state-of-the-art simulators and with Rafael's assistance. On April 2, 2017, the system was declared to be operational at a festive ceremony held at an IAF base.
The basic concept of the David's Sling system is being integrated as one of the elements of the national multiple-tier missile defense layout. The elements making up this layout are the still nonexistent mortar bomb defense system, the Iron Dome system, the David's Sling system and the various models of the Arrow missile. The operational integration of all of these elements should effectively protect the State of Israel against any threat, near or far, from mortar bombs to ballistic missiles. The Iron Dome system will remain the backbone of this national defense layout in terms of coverage and ranges. The tier above the one handled by the Iron Dome system will be handled by the David's Sling system which would deal with maneuvering targets, high-precision cruise missiles and in the future – the Russian-made Yakhont missiles as well as fighter aircraft. The uppermost tier is addressed by the Arrow missiles – intended to handle the long-range ballistic missile threats.
The "Homa" administration at the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) was in charge of specifying the operational requirements for the system. During the initial stage of the competition, Rafael was awarded the development of the launching system, and subsequently they were awarded the development of the entire system. The development effort had started at Rafael's Missile Division, located in the Segev area of the Upper Galilee. The project started with two engineers, but over the years Project David's Sling had a workforce of some 2,000 employees in Israel and overseas.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Pini Yungman, Director of the David's Sling program and formerly a senior commander with the IDF anti-aircraft and air-defense forces: "It was determined that Rafael would serve as the design authority for the system and as the owner of the system's intellectual property. All of our work had been based on prior knowledge. We relied primarily on knowledge Rafael had gained in the development of air-to-air missiles. The client had presented basic requirements relating to various threats, but from the very first stages we decided to look further ahead, to future threats that might emerge within the atmospheric medium, from surface-to-surface missiles to sizable missiles expected to arrive from the top layers of the atmosphere. This was the policy we had set for ourselves for the development of David's Sling – adhere to the requirements of the client, the Homa administration, but at the same time refer to future capabilities.
"I was working with two engineers and drawing on the technological and military background gained in the positions I had served in and the subjects I had dealt with in the IDF. We started drafting the development processes and said to ourselves: the enemy launches a ballistic missile. We must detect it as soon as possible and at the greatest possible distance and we must determine whether it is actually a threat and where it is heading. Conclusion: we need sensors for the purpose of classifying the threats. We further asked ourselves: what do we want the interceptor to do? The answer was – we want it to intercept all of the various types of threats – and there are many of those. We want the interceptor to be fired by the system in time and follow a correct trajectory to the interception point, and to be able to deal with the entire range of threats. Accordingly, the interceptor had to possess speed and maneuverability. Finally, the primary and most basic demand was that the interceptor should be able to acquire the target and destroy it. It was clear to us that the system's Radar, as well as the sensors, must be agile and fast and that the system should be able to cope with multiple targets simultaneously.
Israeli-American Cooperation
"We specified the system architecture and its elements: sensors, a communication layout, a launching layout, command and control and – naturally – the interceptor. By 2006 we were already able to establish the development organization and specify the various projects and the needs regarding personnel, laboratories, subcontractors and contracts in Israel and overseas. The project consisted of groups – a servo group, a motor group and other groups. Management was strict and tight with the responsibility for it shared by the Homa administration, IMOD's DDR&D and the Americans – the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Raytheon USA were our partners from the outset, and to this day they are responsible for the manufacture of parts of the interceptor, the launcher and the missile canisters."
The project engineers at Rafael have high praise for their cooperation with the Americans: "They served as an effective control element, conducted progress surveys, strictly observed our activities and we had to adapt to working according to American methods. It was a cooperative effort possessing work and management culture characteristics that are different from what we have in Israel. We had to work in two languages, comply with strict US standards, and everything required close cooperation and maximum precision – typical characteristics called for in the development of complex defense weapon and air/space systems."
David's Sling is a worldwide project. In Israel, Rafael is the project leader along with 25 other industries. Overseas, the project leader is US giant Raytheon. In Israel, IAI/ELTA developed the Radar for the David's Sling system, Elisra/Elbit Systems developed the command and control systems and many other industries participated in the project. In the years 2009-2010, laboratories were built for each component and subsystem, along with bunkers and production lines, rooms for hot and cold integration and clean rooms, and specialized testing equipment was developed for the various David's Sling assemblies.
An official document issued by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems describes the David's Sling system as an effective defense solution against long-range artillery rockets (LRAR), short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), cruise missiles (CM) and traditional air defense threats, a system that provides protection for the homeland as well as for forward deployed forces. The system consists of a battle management center, an Interceptor array, a multi-mission Radar for detecting and tracking and weapon control systems (WCS). The architecture of David's Sling is modular and enables integration with other defense system, thereby providing a comprehensive, extended protective envelope. The interceptor system includes four missile firing units, with 12 Stunner interceptors in each unit.
Exclusive Israeli Technology
The interceptor is the heart of the system and the element that destroys the threat – the enemy target. Project leader Pini Yungman: "I would not be exaggerating at all if I said that this interceptor incorporates some unique technologies that are not available anywhere else in the world, as well as the latest assemblies. The Stunner interceptor is regarded as a two-stage, tri-pulse (a three-pulse motor) interceptor and it possesses extremely high maneuverability. The interceptor incorporates a dual (electro-optical and electromagnetic) seeker head. It possesses capabilities that are superior several times over to those of its US competitor, the latest PAC-3 Patriot interceptor."
The people at Rafael also stress the fact that the seeker head of the Stunner interceptor detects and tracks threats under all weather conditions and hits the target very accurately using the aimpoint selection method to actually 'kill' the target. The interceptor actually hits the target to achieve a lethal hard-kill effect. The cost of each interceptor is estimated at about one million US Dollars, and according to the project team at Rafael, it is a reasonable cost compared to the alternatives and considering the performance it offers.
The David's Sling system has undergone an extensive series of five trials before it was declared operational. In November 2012, Stage A of the development process was completed and an interception test was conducted. In November 2013, a second successful trial was conducted in the context of which the Radar, battle management center, interceptor and launcher were tested. In March 2015 – a third full trial of the system was conducted and a 'typical threat' was successfully intercepted. In December 2015, a fourth comprehensive system trial was conducted and delivery to the IAF was initiated. On January 25, 2015, the fifth, final and conclusive trial of the David's Sling system was conducted.
Operational Deployment
The final trial, conducted at the Plamachim airbase, was attended by the Director of the US Missile Defense Agency, Vice Admiral James D. Syring, who stated: "We are determined to fulfill our commitment to support the development of Israel's missile defense system." IMOD's DDR&D and the Homa administration reported that during the trial, threat-simulating targets had been launched and were successfully intercepted by the interceptor. The multi-mission Radar (MMR) system by IAI/ELTA identified the threat immediately following the launch and conveyed the information to the battle management center (BMC) by Elisra/Elbit Systems. The interceptors were launched according to the plan, executed all of their flight stages and intercepted the target as planned. The David's Sling system reflects a joint Israeli-American project involving the development of a defense system against short-range ballistic missiles and large-caliber rockets, stated the conclusion of the final trial before the operational deployment. In this fifth and final trial, the Stunner interceptor of the David's Sling system was launched against a Rafael Sparrow missile – a target-simulating missile.
The David's Sling system may be operated fully autonomously or semi-autonomously. How does that work? The system 'knows', through the Radar, that a threat is approaching. It produces an interception plan according to the threats and 'informs' the operators of the details of that interception plan. The operator can stop the launching and interception process or allow the system to operate autonomously until the threat has been eliminated. Target acquisition is accomplished dozens of kilometers before the actual impact. The operator's role is to supervise the activity and ensure there are no safety issues, but the human operator does not interfere with the system's computation plan. It should be noted that all of these processes are executed within extremely short periods of time, measurable by microseconds (1 microsecond = one millionth of a second).
The deployment of the David's Sling layout is radically different from that of the Iron Dome system. You will not find David's Sling batteries deployed close to the major cities, as Israeli civilians were able to encounter Iron Dome batteries close to their settlements in the past. The David's Sling layout has a single, nation-wide command and control center, located somewhere in the central region of Israel. Numerous sensors are deployed at different sites around the country, along with – naturally – the communication system. In this case, deployment is centralized but planned very precisely according to reference scenarios. The system is not dependent on any particular geographic region. It is not regional, but rather nation-wide. The effectiveness and range of the interceptors are so substantial that the physical location of the launchers becomes insignificant and there is no need to relocate interceptor batteries from one deployment site to another, from the northern region to the southern region and vice versa. The layout provides a comprehensive solution – a complete protective envelope for the entire country.
Tal Inbar, Head of the Space Research Center at the Fisher Brothers Institute for Air & Space Strategic Studies: "We should take into account future threats in the shape of high-precision missiles. The lower threat tier – mortar bombs – has not been provided with an effective solution yet. Efforts are currently under way toward that end. The Iron Dome system proved itself as a highly effective system. The primary function of the David's Sling system is to intercept high-precision enemy missiles, like the Fateh-110 missile and its derivatives. In the future, the Yakhont missile may emerge as a threat. The David's Sling system is highly advanced and provides an effective solution for a wide range of cruise missiles and long-range aircraft. It provides an effective solution and coverage for an expansive area. The David's Sling system was designed to handle maneuvering targets and high-precision cruise missiles." Inbar believes the current price of the interceptor (about one million US Dollars) is very steep and that efforts should be made to reduce its cost. He considers the cooperative alliance with Raytheon as a major advantage: "The development and production cooperation between Israeli defense industries and an American giant like Raytheon is of strategic importance, as is the fact that Israel has joined the air defense program of the USA."
The IAF troopers who currently operate the David's Sling layout were trained over a period of eighteen months. Their training included the use of simulators, through which they can learn, practice and drill all of the interception procedures. The battalion is already operational and the battalion commander is Lt. Col. Kobi Regev. The operational system is deployed at an IAF base in central Israel and the battalion's troopers are deployed at various sites. Battalion Commander Regev told us that all of his troopers came to the unit after having gained operational experience and background and that they all share a healthy dose of esprit de corps. The operators of David's Sling are "mission ready."
http://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/30002
@waz in response to ur commentThe Dome vs. the Qassam
Amir Rapaport's weekly column examines the lessons to be derived from the most lethal round of fighting the Israeli rear experienced since Operation Protective Edge
Amir Rapaport | 17/05/2019
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Iron Dome missiles intercept rockets fired from Gaza near Sderot, Israel (Photo: AP)
The most recent round of fighting between Gaza and Israel, which ended last week, on the eve of the month of Ramadan (and a few days before the beginning of the Eurovision Song Contest) was a fascinating battle between the IAF's air defense setup and the developers of the Iron Dome system, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who have been challenging the performance of the system for the past eight years, since the first successful interception.
From a perspective of the few days that have elapsed since the beginning of the ceasefire, one can address a few major questions that arose, especially in view of the fact that for the first time in years, the Israeli rear sustained numerous casualties: four deaths and about 150 injuries. One of the victims, Moshe Feder from Kfar-Saba, was killed when his car was hit by a Kornet antitank missile launched from the Strip. The others were hit by Qassam rockets, which have been upgraded significantly over the years, especially with regard to the explosive contents of their warheads (some of the short-range rockets carried dozens of kilograms of explosives each).
The main question is this – has the Iron Dome system failed this time, in view of the fact that rockets did land in inhabited areas and did inflict casualties and damage?
The increase in the amount of explosives carried by the rockets has definitely affected the scope of casualties and damage. As far as the interception percentages are concerned, the last round was particularly successful – more than 90% success opposite rockets launched in the direction of inhabited areas (the Iron Dome system can ignore rockets making their way toward uninhabited areas, and does not attempt to intercept them).
These high percentages were maintained even when the enemy launched a massive salvo of not less than 117 rockets within one hour (mostly in the direction of the city of Ashdod). The reason for the relatively high number of rockets that landed in inhabited areas was the massive amount of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip to begin with – not less than 690 launches within the span of 36 hours (in comparison, during the peak day of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah had launched about 300 rockets).
With high numbers, statistics count. The 10% failure figure was reflected in 35 rockets that should have been intercepted, but were not. Incidentally, when IMOD's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) had issued, years ago, the request for the development of a rocket interception system, the requirements specified a rate of success of 70% only. In those days, that figure had been conceived as fantastic, but reality has surpassed the imagination: during a brief round of fighting opposite the Gaza Strip, a few weeks ago, 100% of some 50 rockets launched into Israel's southern region were intercepted successfully. A world record.
"In a retrospective analysis, the Iron Dome system succeeds above and beyond anything that could have been anticipated, and even the last round has proven that no other system, worldwide, can even come close to the interception percentages of the Iron Dome. The (last) round was definitely very successful for the Iron Dome," a senior source at Rafael told IsraelDefense. Rafael developed the system jointly with IAI, which was responsible for the surveillance radar detecting the rockets.
"The challenge we face is increasing, as the enemy tries to cope with the system in different ways, but we are improving, too. In fact, the only similarity between the Iron Dome of today and the one that became operational in 2011 is external. In all other respects, it is a completely different system. I can state with confidence that we are a few steps – not just one step – ahead of the enemy."
So how come there are still rockets that the Iron Dome fails to intercept?
It is important to understand that each interception depends on the perfect timing and integration of numerous sensors, radars, communications and the interceptor missiles, as well as, naturally – on the human element. Even the smallest glitch by one of those elements might lead to failure. In an attempt to improve the statistics, in some situations, the operators launch more than one interceptor missile toward a rocket making its way toward an Israeli settlement, but still, there is no such thing as "hermetic protection" nor will there ever be. Incidentally, the lion's share of the interception process is automatic, and in the last round, the warfighters of the IAF air defense setup operated flawlessly, around the clock. The rocket hits were not their fault.
One of the main arguments of the opponents of the Iron Dome system within the IAF in the previous decade (the Minister of Defense at that time, Amir Peretz, decided in favor of the development of the system, contrary to the position of the IAF), was that the best way to stop the launching of rockets was not defense but rather massive offensive measures and deterrence. Has the last round shown that the Iron Dome system only encourages Hamas and Islamic Jihad to launch more rockets than they would have launched if the system had not existed, as they expect that the majority of their rockets would be intercepted anyway? Does that support the opponents' argument?
"The allegation that Hamas and Jihad are firing as they do not intend to hit their targets to begin with is simply baseless," says the senior source from Rafael. "From our analysis of all of the launches and interceptions, we have seen, again and again, that they are doing their best to inflict maximum damage and casualties. We can estimate that the number of deaths would have been hundreds of times higher if the Iron Dome had not existed, at least as high as the number of casualties in the rear during the Second Lebanon War."
The question once again arises regarding the cost of a single Iron Dome interceptor (about $50,000, according to some sources) compared to the insignificant cost of each rocket.
The senior source at Rafael said that "the question of the economic worthwhileness of the Iron Dome system was decided long ago. The actual 'value' of each interception is not determined by the cost of the rocket, but rather by the cost we would have paid if we did not have a defense system. Beyond the human lives saved, which are priceless, even with regard to this round it is easy to imagine the damage that would have been sustained if life in the central region of the country had been paralyzed because of concerns regarding rocket attacks. Even Ben-Gurion international airport might have been closed down, so the benefit exceeds the costs several times over."
Fortunately, Israel has not yet faced the scenario of a war in the north and in the south simultaneously. Do we have a sufficient number of Iron Dome batteries to defend the rear in such a scenario, when the precedence in defense is expected to be assigned, first of all, to IAF bases and to such strategic installations as the power station in Hadera?
For obvious reasons, the IDF does not divulge any exact numbers regarding its order of battle, but it is clear that the number of Iron Dome batteries currently available is not enough to provide optimal protection to the entire country (according to a plan prepared during Ehud Barak's term as Minister of Defense, which has never been budgeted). In a future substantial war, additional batteries will be required, just as several batteries were established during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, and started operating just a few hours after they had been deployed on the ground.
Is there a sufficient number of interceptor missiles for an eventuality of a large-scale conflict?
Naturally, the number of Tamir interceptor missiles (which is kept secret) is not infinite, but the situation today is far better than it was during the first few rounds of fighting in the Iron Dome era. In any case, Rafael is prepared to manufacture many new interceptors, should they be required. The employees of Rafael always report to their workplaces without fail every time a new round of fighting begins – as if they were reporting for reserve military duty.
Are confrontations such as the last round of fighting beneficial to the global sales of the Iron Dome system?
The senior source at Rafael answered: "Truthfully, yes. We will not sell the Iron Dome system to any country – only to our closest strategic partners, but every time the system demonstrates its tremendous interception percentages, the interest in it intensifies. Next year we will deliver the first two Iron Dome batteries ordered by the US Army (a joint project with Raytheon), and we hope that the Army and other branches of the US military will order many additional batteries later on."
Does the Iron Dome system fit as planned into the multiple-tier missile defense concept devised years ago by the special administration known as Homa at IMOD?
Definitely. After the Iron Dome system, the IAF took delivery over the last few years of the Arrow-3 and David's Sling systems.
The first Israeli missile defense system became operational at the beginning of the previous decade. It was the Arrow-2 system whose development had been initiated following the first Gulf War in 1991 – despite strong opposition on the part of the IAF, which always prefers to invest its funds in offensive setups. The interception process of the Arrow-2 system takes place within the earth's atmosphere.
The Arrow-3 system is a completely different story: the interception process is intended to take place in outer space, at extreme heights, and provide a solution to the Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology the Iranians are developing for their missiles. This system is currently the main project of the Homa administration, in cooperation with the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The system, developed by IAI, constitutes a primary element of the multi-tier missile defense system of the State of Israel, and is intended to provide the uppermost tier of defense against the ballistic missile threat.
The David's Sling air defense system (formerly known as Magic Wand), developed jointly by Rafael and Raytheon, is intended to intercept medium-range and cruise missiles. The multi-tier defense concept is based on the idea that several interception attempts will be made against every missile launched in the direction of Israel – starting in outer space and converging to closer ranges. Accordingly, the higher the point from which the threatening missile arrives, the better the chance of successfully intercepting it within one of the tiers.
As far as rockets launched from ranges of a few dozen kilometers only, like those being launched from the Gaza Strip, the Iron Dome system is the only relevant defense system. The David's Sling and the various types of Arrow missiles are only relevant for the more distant threats.
What about the Point Defense project for extremely short-range threats (including mortar bombs), also decided upon by the Israeli defense establishment?
This new project of IMOD's DDR&D, which is already underway, has only just begun. It involves a tier below the one covered by the Iron Dome system, with the intention of further improving the chances of intercepting any missile while at the same time providing a solution for the munitions launched from extremely short ranges – just a few kilometers. At this point, a number of industries, including Rafael, are hard at work developing solution proposals for this technological challenge. IMOD will subsequently select one of these proposals, which would evolve into a project.
In this context, the senior source from Rafael said that "Technologically, any threat may be intercepted – even a rifle round fired from a range of just a few dozens of meters. It all depends on the technological effort and the cost. The state should decide up to which level and as of what range it wants to defend itself, and the defense industries and the IDF will develop the technological and operational solution according to that decision."
Finally, a much more acute question – has the state of emergency of the air defense setup ended when the informal ceasefire opposite the Gaza Strip became effective?
No. The state of alert remains high throughout the IAF, and particularly within the Iron Dome setup. The situation may – possibly – return to normal after the end of the Eurovision Song Contest events, which currently maintain the alertness of the Israeli defense system at a very high level.
https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/38554
