Eyeing future missile threats, Israel successfully completes ‘complex’ David’s Sling tests
Defense Ministry says drills were based on ‘operational lessons’ learned during the June 2025 war with Iran and included scenarios in line with existing and evolving dangers
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
As part of “upgrading readiness for future threats,” the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it successfully completed a series of “complex” tests with the David’s Sling medium-range air defense system.
David’s Sling, produced by defense firm Rafael, is designed to intercept rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs at ranges of 40 to 300 kilometers.
The announcement of the new round of testing came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump, and amid concerns that Tehran could target Israel amid a military escalation.
The Defense Ministry said the series of drills was based on “operational lessons” learned from the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, and included a “range of challenging scenarios in line with existing and evolving threats.”
“The success of the tests constitutes an additional technological and operational breakthrough in upgrading the system, which demonstrated high performance capabilities during the war with successful interceptions that saved lives and prevented significant damage,” it said.
David’s Sling, operational in Israel since 2017, forms the middle tier of Israel’s multi-layer air defense capabilities, which also include the short-range Iron Beam and Iron Dome, and a top tier of Arrow systems to engage long-range ballistic missiles.
David's Sling Weapon System Successfully Completes Complex Test Series as Part of Future Threat Readiness Upgrade
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— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) February 11, 2026
Upgrading the David’s Sling relieves pressure on the Arrow 3 defense system, which was produced by Israel Aerospace Industries to face long-range ballistic missiles. While each David’s Sling missile costs roughly $1 million to use, the Arrow 3 system can cost Israel over $2.5 million per use.
While not designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles, the David’s Sling was deployed during June’s war with Iran, successfully shooting down several projectiles launched from 1,500 kilometers away, according to defense sources. Previously, David’s Sling had only been used against medium-range rockets fired by Hamas and Hezbollah from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, respectively.
According to the military, approximately 85% of the roughly 550 ballistic missiles and over 1,000 drones sent by Tehran during the June war were intercepted.
The Times of Israel Community.