The Israeli defense industry, led by the big three — Rafael, Elbit, and Israel Aircraft Industries — keeps on coming up with new weapons, such as the laser-based anti-missile weapon, the Iron Beam, that will cost only a few dollars as compared to the tens of thousands for the Iron Dome that does the same thing, and in improving those it already possesses. Now Rafael’s David’s Sling, an air and missile defense system, that has lately been improved, has been tested and managed to surpass all expectations in shooting down short, medium, and long-range missiles, including ballistic missiles. It does so at a fraction of the cost of either the Arrow 2, used to shoot down ballistic missiles, or the Iron Dome, used to shoot down short-range rockets.
More on the new and improved David’s Sling can be found here: “WATCH: David’s Sling shoots down a range of threats, including ballistic missiles,” by Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, August 4, 2025:
David’s Sling, Israel’s middle tier of air defense, has successfully shot down new and evolving threats, including rockets, cruise missiles, other missiles, and drones in a series of live-fire exercises, the Defense Ministry said Monday.
David’s Sling, manufactured by Rafael, has been in operational use for years, including in the Israel-Hamas War and to defend against threats from Iran and Hezbollah.
According to Rafael’s website, David’s Sling combines “innovative steering control, multi-propulsion, and an advanced seeker, it defeats high-volume asymmetric threats, including tactical ballistic missiles and large-caliber rockets.”
Using David’s Sling to shoot down ballistic missiles takes some of the pressure and heavy cost off of the Arrow 3, which is produced by Israel Aerospace Industries but is far more expensive.
Originally developed to shoot down cruise missiles, which fly in a more line-drive fashion, David’s Sling has evolved to shoot down any of the short-, medium-, or long-range aerial threats Israel faces. Iron Dome shoots down rockets, which fly in a predictable arch.
“The David’s Sling system, specifically designed to counter various threats like rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs, constitutes a central defensive layer within Israel’s comprehensive multilayered air- and missile-defense architecture, which also includes the Arrow weapon system, the Iron Dome Defense system, and the near-future Iron Beam system,” the Defense Ministry said….
With its now-proven ability to shoot down virtually every kind of enemy rocket and missile, at a fraction of the cost of other defensive weapons in Israel’s armory, the Arrow-2 will now be a major weapon deployed by the IDF. And with the Iron Beam, a laser-based technology that costs a few dollars, rather than the tens of thousands that each Iron Dome costs, the IDF will be saving enormous sums for the same interceptions.
It’s a remarkable feat, by tiny Israel, that now has a multi-tiered defensive missile system that is the equal, if not the superior, to those of all other militaries.
The King James Bible says that the “God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” Nor do the weapons scientists at Rafael, Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries.
Taffy says
Just a comment on the cost of the Iron Beam. It is true that the marginal cost of each burst of the laser is only a few dollars, but when the R &D and the manufacturing costs are figured into the cost of each laser burst, this is a very expensive weapon.
What makes this weapon necessary, however, is that it compliments the iron dome by being able to shoot down incoming missiles at short range. If a missile should get by the iron dome or David’s Sling, such as when the Iranians attempt to saturate Israel’s air defenses by firing hundreds of missile simultaneously, the iron beam will be able to shoot down the threats that got through. Also, for small skill threats, such as a few dozen rockets, the iron beam can shoot them down inexpensively (marginal cost).
abu taleb says
67:5 “And indeed, We adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and made them as missiles for stoning eavesdropping devils, for whom We have also prepared the torment of the Blaze”
Can David’s Sling handle Allah’s missiles? I really wonder why Allah never throws its missiles to Israel at all. Maybe Allah fails to kill the devils and jinns with its missiles, so it thinks it is useless to use the missiles against Israel.
If I were a muslim, either I would commit suicide or apostate after seeing such impotent Allah. It is a good thing I am not a muslim, and I will never be.
James Lincoln says
It will also be nice to have Rafael’s David’s Sling part of US defensive weapons.
Taffy says
Maybe it (or a derivative) tailored to the US’s specifications) already is. The US defense industry works very closely with Israeli defense companies to jointly develop edge of the art weapons particularly in the ECM/ECCM area The Israeli and American engineering and mathematical brains have Allah completely baffled!
James Lincoln says
Hope you are right, Taffy.
Thanks for your reply.
skeptiker says
Nur ein starkes, überragendes Militär sichert Israel und den USA langfristig das Überleben. Die äußere Bedrohung kann damit wirkungsvoll abgeschreckt werden. Wie in den USA an den vergangenen Regierungen durch die Demokraten festzustellen war, ist die Bedrohung durch Zersetzung von innen das weitaus größere Problem. Bösartige globalistische Akteure benutzen sogenannte humanitäre, zivile “Waffen” wie beispielsweise die illegale Masseneinwanderung, Nichtverfolgung von Straftätern usw., um ein Land zu destabilisieren und es zu zerstören, die noch nicht im SIPRI Institut als Waffe bzw. Militär gelistet werden. Der sogenannte “zivile Ungehorsam” kann als Mittel –und auch noch als moralisch höherwertig- für einen unbewaffneten aber nicht minder gewalttätigen Versuch eingesetzt werden, der in der Zerstörungskraft vergleichbar mit einem militärischen Angriffskrieg eines Staates ist. Schaut euch die Zustände in GB, in Frankreich, in Deutschland an. Das nenne ich Krieg gegen die eigene Bevölkerung, ohne das eine Rakete, ein Gewehr abgefeuert wurde.
somehistory says
“NEW: Israel To Occupy Gaza City by Oct. 7, But Endgame Still in Doubt
Israeli officials agree their war plan allows for full occupation of Gaza but disagree on how likely that is to happen
Washington Free Beacon
Aug 8”