MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. On February 11, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced the completion of a series of tests of the upgraded David's Sling air and missile defense system.
According to the ministry, the system underwent a series of tests designed to assess its effectiveness in various combat scenarios against current and future threats. The ministry stated that it came up with these scenarios based on actual combat experience with David's Sling in recent conflicts. According to Moshe Fattal, head of the Wall Directorate at the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), the tests showcased the enhanced performance of David’s Sling. "The series was completed with full success and enables a significant upgrade to Israel’s air defense array," he said.
Photos and videos published by the ministry confirmed that the system was also tested from a surface carrier (in this case, a cargo vessel, not a military vessel). Prior to this, since 2017, when the David's Sling was accepted into Israeli service, it had functioned exclusively as a land-based system. According to the ministry's press release, "David's Sling serves as a central defensive layer in Israel's multi-layered air and missile defense architecture, alongside the Arrow weapon system, the Iron Dome defense system, and the Iron Beam laser system, which was recently delivered to the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The system's development is led by the Israel Ministry of Defense, through the IMDO within the DDR&D, in cooperation with the defense industries and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA)."
David's Sling is designed to intercept various threats including rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs. The system utilizes Stunner interceptor missiles, which are two-stage solid-fuel rocket-propelled munitions with an effective range of 70 to 300 km, an interception altitude of 50,000 to 75,000 meters, and a flight speed of up to Mach 7.5 (approximately 2.55 km/s).
The missiles do not carry a warhead; targets are intercepted by direct impact. Each Stunner is equipped with a multi-mode seeker, a three-band data link, and electronic and infrared countermeasures.
The lead developer of the David's Sling system is Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The American company Raytheon (part of RTX) acted as a partner in its creation, and the subcontractors were Elbit Systems and ELTA (part of Israel Aerospace Industries), which manufactures the EL/M-2084 radar stations that are part of this system.
CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Yoav Tourgeman said: "Against the backdrop of ever-evolving threats, Rafael is proud to successfully conclude the advanced test series of the David's Sling system, which incorporated new capabilities across a wide range of challenging scenarios. The system undergoes continuous upgrades and adaptations, and the current test series once again demonstrates that David's Sling is one of the world's leading air defense systems."
According to Army Recognition, "the February 2026 trials followed an earlier upgrade cycle completed in August 2025 after wartime interceptions during the October 7 war [in Gaza]. Both upgrade cycles were structured around combat experience and evaluated the David’s Sling performance against rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs under challenging operational conditions." The publication also pointed out that during Operation Rising Lion (a 12-day military campaign against Iran), specialists from the Israeli Defense Ministry's Missile Defense Directorate made modifications to the system in real time, which resulted in improved performance. The February tests, according to the portal, were aimed at confirming these characteristics.
Army Recognition also noted that confirmed cases of successful combat use of the David Sling system were recorded in 2018, 2023, October 2024, June 2025, and February 2026. In April 2023, the system was ordered by Finland. Other countries interested in the David's Sling system include India, Switzerland, Australia, Estonia, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.