David's sling

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David's sling

David-Sling-0001.jpg

General Information
Type Anti-aircraft missile & missile defense system
Local name קלע דוד, Kela David
NATO designation David's Sling, Magic Wand, Stunner
Country of origin IsraelIsrael Israel / United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
Manufacturer Rafael & Raytheon
development 2006
Commissioning 2017
Unit price ~ $ 1 million per missile
Technical specifications
length ~ 5.8 m
diameter ~ 540 mm (booster)

First stage drive		 Solid fuel booster
Solid rocket engine
speed Mach 4.0-5.5
Range > 25 km
Service ceiling 15 km
Furnishing
steering AESA radar , inertial navigation system , 2-way data link
Target location Imaging infrared seeker head , CCD sensor , K u band radar
Warhead Fragmentation warhead
Detonator Proximity and impact fuses
Weapon platforms Truck & trailer
Lists on the subject

David's Sling ( Hebrew קלע דוד, Kela David , German David's sling ), also called Magic Wand ( Hebrew שרביט קסמים) is an anti-aircraft and missile defense system jointly developed by the Israeli state defense company Rafael and the US defense company Raytheon for the Israel Defense Forces .

development

The increasing threat to Israel from enemy missiles, especially Qassam short-range missiles from Hamas from the Gaza Strip , Katyusha short-range missiles from Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, and Iranian medium-range missiles , have led to the development of a missile protection shield with various defense systems. While the Arrow system is already in use against long-range missiles , David's Sling is to be used to combat missiles with a range of 70 to over 300 km. The Iron Dome system is also used to defend against artillery missiles with a range of less than 70 km.

Rafael was commissioned with the development in 2006. A partnership with Raytheon was established in order to receive US military aid for the project. At Raytheon, the interceptor missile was called the Stunner . When developing the Stunner guided missiles, the developers used z. Partly on the components of the guided weapon types Python-5 , Derby and AIM-120 AMRAAM . David's Sling was originally supposed to be operational in 2011. However, technical problems and financial difficulties delayed the project, so that the first test launch of a Stunner interceptor missile did not take place until November 2012. Until 2016, the USA supported the development with almost a billion US dollars .

In April 2017, the first two were batteries on the Air Force Base Chazor of Zahal commissioned. In the longer term, David's Sling will replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot systems in the Israel Defense Forces . A version that can be used as an air-to-air missile is also contemplated. The Patriot Advanced Affordable Capability-4 (PAAC-4) project, which provides for the integration of the Stunner interceptor into the MIM-104 Patriot system, is also running at Raytheon .

technology

General

David's Sling was primarily designed to combat long-range artillery missiles and short-range ballistic missiles . These include u. a. the missile types WS-1 , WS-2 , 9K72 Elbrus and 9K720 Iskander . The system is also suitable for combating combat aircraft and cruise missiles . It should be possible to fight the targets from a few meters above ground up to an altitude of around 15 km. The maximum aiming speed can be up to Mach 7.5. Together with the Arrow and Iron Dome systems, David's Sling is used as part of the Israeli missile protection shield. It can also be used in a sensor network with other air defense systems (e.g. Barak-8 and SPYDER ) or autonomously.

radar

The radar ELM-2084 AESA is used with David's Sling for air surveillance, target acquisition and guided missile guidance . This is a multifunctional radar with an Active Phased-Array-Radar-Antenna (AESA) from Elta Systems . The radar works in the S-band and has a detection range of over 470 km. The transmitting antenna rotates at 30–40 revolutions per minute and thus achieves all-round coverage of 360 °. It can also stand still and be used for a static search sector with an azimuth of 120 °. The radar can be installed on either a truck or a tractor-trailer . David's Sling can probably also be supplied with radar data from the Green Pine Radar .

Guided missile launcher

The Stunner guided missiles are housed on a trailer truck pulled by a truck. The 12 guided missiles are located in transport and launch containers and are launched vertically from them . In order to make the starting unit ready to fire, the trailer is uncoupled and placed on splay legs. Then the missile containers are positioned at an angle of 90 °. A power generator and the transmission station for the data link to the fire control station are also installed on the trailer .

Fire control station

The Golden Almond Battle Management System (BMS) is the central fire control station of a David's sling battery . From here, the operators conduct the fire fight, and they can also receive instructions from a higher command post . The transmission station for the data link to the flying guided weapons is also installed on the fire control station . An unpublished number of Stunner guided weapons can be deployed against an unknown number of targets at the same time from the fire control station. Via the 2-way data link , the operators are always informed about the flight path and status of the guided weapons. As a C 2 system, the fire control station has extensive communication facilities that allow combat management personnel to communicate with various reconnaissance and command systems.

Guided missiles

Stunner interceptor missile on first test launch

The Stunner guided missiles are two-stage missiles and have a booster on the rear of the missile . The actual guided missiles have a slim, cylindrical body and are divided into four sections: The sensors for target tracking are located in the asymmetrical guided missile tip. These consist of an imaging infrared seeker head and a focal plane array with CCD sensors with digital image processing . An active K u band radar seeker head is also installed. This is followed by the electronics , the actuators and the proximity detonator . Immediately behind it is the fragmentation warhead . This is followed by the solid-fuel double-pulse motor with the nozzle located in the rear . Two groups of steering and control surfaces are attached to the missile fuselage. In the rear area 2 × 4 trapezoidal stabilization surfaces are attached. Four trapezoidal control surfaces are attached to the front quarter of the missile fuselage. While the missile is in the transport and launch container, these surfaces are attached to the missile body. They unfold immediately after launch.

After the ground-based radar has determined the target data, it is passed on to the navigation system of the Stunner guided missile. Then the missile can be started from the transport and launch container. The guided weapon is fired on a kinetically optimal trajectory at the previously calculated collision point of the target and the guided weapon. In the first flight phase, the Stunner is powered by the booster. After it is burned out, it is thrown off and the missile's solid rocket engine ignites. After the first section of the solid rocket engine burns out, it pauses and the further cruise flight takes place without power. During the cruise flight, the missile continues to be supplied with data from the surveillance radar via the data link . The control takes place in this flight phase by means of an inertial navigation system . The rocket engine is ignited again for the final approach, which gives the guided missile a high level of agility on the final approach. This means that the Stunner has large energy reserves on its final approach and can perform flight maneuvers with high lateral loads . The impact and proximity fuses as well as the guided missile seeker head are also activated for the final approach . The destination is now approached according to the principle of proportional navigation. With the use of different sensors, the actual target is to be distinguished from decoys and the target is to be destroyed with a direct hit (English: " Hit-To-Kill "). This is to ensure that the warhead is reliably destroyed. During a close flyby, the warhead is ignited by the proximity fuse . If the missile misses the target, it can be blown up from the fire control station. The Stunner guided missiles can be brought to the target using the fire-and-forget principle or by command steering via the data link.

Range

The range of David's Sling has been kept confidential since the start of the project, so ranges between 30 km and over 280 km are speculated. A press spokesman for Rafael said at the Paris Air Show in 2013 that David's Sling has a range of 160 km. If one compares David's Sling with the anti-aircraft missiles Aster (120–160 km), Barak-8ER (150 km), 9M96D (120 km), which have a similar conception, geometry, size, weight, warhead, airspeed and type of propulsion, so can be a rough range can be estimated. The comparison with the two-stage system Barak-8ER is particularly obvious, as a slim guided weapon with an on-board seeker head is also combined with a thick booster. For David's Sling, despite a certain uncertainty, a range of 75–100 km seems quite realistic.

commitment

On the morning of July 23, 2018, Israel detected the launch of two 9K79 Tochka short-range missiles in Syria . Initial calculations resulted in a course for the short-range missiles in the direction of Israel. As a result, two Stunner anti-missiles were launched from a David's sling battery stationed north of Safed . After launch, the operators determined that the two short-range missiles will not hit Israeli territory. Then one anti-missile was detonated in flight and contact was lost with the second. According to Israeli information, the second anti-missile probably crashed over Syrian territory. According to a report on the Chinese news portal Sina.com , this defense missile was later recovered by Syrians and then handed over to Russia.

distribution

Two batteries were in use in Israel in 2018 . David's Sling was also offered for sale in India and the Gulf States . David's Sling is currently being evaluated by Poland as part of the SkyCeptor program. From Switzerland David's Sling, as part of the project Air2030 evaluated. However, after no offer was received from the manufacturer , the system dropped out of the selection process. Israeli sources then reported that the United States had pressured Israel to keep David's Sling missile defense system out of Air2030 in favor of Raytheon's MIM-104 Patriot system.

Web links

Commons : David's Sling  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Clemens Verenkotte: Israel is testing "David's slingshot" . In: tagesschau.de . November 26, 2012. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved on November 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ a b c d David's Sling makes second successful intercept ( Memento from September 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) IHS Jane's 360, accessed: August 29, 2014
  3. ↑ Jane's
  4. ↑ Defensenews  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.defensenews.com  
  5. ↑ Israel reports successful anti-missile test, Spiegel Online, November 26, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  6. ^ Ian Williams: David's Sling (Israel). In: missilethreat.csis.org. Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 14, 2016, accessed on August 21, 2018 .
  7. ^ Judah Ari Gross: With a storm on the horizon, Israel turns on its latest missile defense system. In: timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel, April 2, 2017, accessed May 8, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Stephen Trimble: Rafael eyes Stunner interceptor as successor to Python, Derby missiles. In: flightglobal.com. Flight International, November 30, 2009, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  9. ^ Rafael, Raytheon To Produce New Patriot Missile Systems. In: defenseworld.net. The Defense World, September 2, 2013, accessed September 3, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Barbara Opall: David's Sling System Shows Ability To Destroy Rockets, Missiles. In: defensenews.com. Defense News, December 21, 2009, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Dr. Igor Sutyagin: Russian Countermeasures against New Missile Technologies. In: youtube.com. INSS - The Institute for National Security Studies, January 13, 2013, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  12. ↑ David Eshel: David's Sling Adds to Israel's Air Defense. In: aviationweek.com. Aviation Week Network, June 15, 2015, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  13. ↑ ELM-2084 S-band MMR multi-mission radar. In: armyrecognition.com. Army Recognition, January 29, 2017, accessed March 20, 2017 .
  14. ↑ ELM-2084 - MMR. In: iai.co.il. Israel Aerospace Industries, accessed July 1, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Stunner. In: deagel.com. Deagel, June 13, 2012, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  16. ^ Stunner Missile Interceptor System. In: army-technology.com. Army Technology, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  17. ↑ David's Sling. In: rafael.co.il. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  18. ↑ Tyler Rogoway: Israel Is Testing On Air-To-Air Variant Of Its Dolphin-Nosed Stunner Missile. In: thedrive.com. The Warzone, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  19. ↑ YouTube: David's Sling missile system unveiled in Paris 2013
  20. ^ Judah Ari Gross: 2 Syrian missiles with half-ton warheads trigger Israel's anti-missile system. In: timesofisrael.com. The Times of Israel.com, July 23, 2018, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  21. ^ Yaakov Lappin & Neil Gibson: David's Sling has dubious debut against Syrian missiles. In: janes.com. Jane's 360, July 24, 2018, accessed September 3, 2018 .
  22. ↑ Jeremy Binnie: Syria reportedly recovered David's Sling missile. In: janes.com. IHS Jane's, November 7, 2019, accessed November 18, 2019 .
  23. ↑ https://www.tachles.ch/artikel/news/russland-erbeutet-israelische-luftabwehrrakete-syrien
  24. ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 , pp. 342 (English, as of January 2018).
  25. ^ Raytheon to offer Poland low-cost Patriot interceptor. In: raytheon.com. Raytheon, July 16, 2018, accessed August 21, 2018 .
  26. ↑ Michael Surber: Switzerland wants to defend its airspace with missiles again. In: nzz.ch. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, May 4, 2018, accessed on August 21, 2018 .
  27. ↑ Air2030 - Protection of the airspace: FAQ. In: vbs.admin.ch. Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport, accessed on April 18, 2019 .
  28. ↑ Arie Egozi: Israel chafes As Reported US To Block David's Sling export shipments. In: breakingdefense.com. Breaking Defense, accessed May 8, 2019 .