Israel completes upgraded tests of David’s Sling air defense system

ISTANBUL

Israel announced Wednesday that it has completed tests on its David's Sling air defense system, which is designed to intercept various threats including rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

In a statement, the Israeli Defense Ministry said the tests were carried out by the Israel Missile Defense Organization in cooperation with the US Missile Defense Agency and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a major Israeli defense company.

“The test series was built on operational lessons learned from recent combat and included a wide range of challenging scenarios simulating existing and emerging threats,” the statement said.

Moshe Patel, head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, said the series concluded “with complete success, enabling a significant upgrade to the State of Israel's air and missile defense architecture."

In service since 2017, David’s Sling serves as the middle tier of Israel’s missile defense system, sitting between the long-range Arrow system and the short-range Iron Dome.

The Israeli military’s inventory also includes US-made THAAD ballistic missile defense systems.

As talks continue regarding a potential US attack on Iran, Israeli officials say preparations are being made for all scenarios.