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Testing David's Sling Weapon System.
Testing David's Sling Weapon System.
A number of recent David's Sling missile tests - the most recent one this Tuesday - have been a great success, the Homa Directorate at the Defense Ministry and the American Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced Wednesday. "This is a unique weapons system: the interceptor is small and agile," Homa Directorate chief Yair Ramati said. "The system should be introduced to the Israeli Air Force (IAF) by next year."
Comment: In 2011, the US pledged $235.7M aid for David's Sling and Arrow 3 defense systems in addition to $205M for Iron Dome. These funds were added to the annual $3B stipend already allocated by congress and paid for by the American public.
Also known as the "Magic Wand," the short-range ballistic missile defense system, designed to intercept medium range missiles from nearby Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, has been jointly developed the between the Pentagon contractor and by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
"The system is designed to intercept... threats from Lebanon. Representatives from the US were present during the trials and are full partners in the project," Ramti told the Ynet news site.
Comment: Double standard? Some countries are restricted, condemned, policed for wanting to defend themselves with sophisticated weapons systems even when they only have junk and duct tape, while others aren't even winked at (and we can guess who that might be). David's Sling is categorized as a defense missile system, yet it has shown its capability to seek and destroy. Would Israel deploy this weapon as an aggressive means to an end? In a heartbeat. At the US taxpayer's expense. Why does the US make such a special effort to buy Israel the best technology and acquiesce to its demands? Location, location, location!