For the first time, Israel’s Ministry of Defense is expected to export the David’s Sling Weapon System abroad.
After a competitive process that lasted several years, Finland’s Ministry of Defense chose the advanced Israeli system, which will serve as a layered defense against various threats. The procurement request was received by the Director‐General of the Ministry of Defense, MG (Ret.) Eyal Zamir.
Israel will provide Finland with the David’s Sling system according to the agreement, including interceptors, launchers, and radars, which will be connected to Finnish command and control systems. The agreement is valued at approximately 316 million Euro, and due to the program’s joint development with the United States is contingent on final export approval from the US Government.
The David’s Sling Weapon System is an advanced system designed to intercept ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, developed jointly by the Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization, Mr. Moshe Patel, led the procurement talks with the Finnish Government. Rafael is the prime contractor for David’s Sling, working alongside Elta an IAI subsidiary, which developed the Multi‐Mission Radar, and Elbit Systems, which developed the Israeli command and control system.
“The Finnish government’s decision to acquire the David’s Sling system reflects the strong defense ties between our countries, as well as the cutting edge capabilities of Israel’s defense industries,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement.
“I would like to thank the Finnish government and my counterpart, Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen, for placing their trust in the system. I am confident that the cooperation between our countries will further enhance our readiness to respond to regional and global threats,” he added.
“The Ministry of Defense thanks the Government of Finland for their selection of our advanced interception system, David’s Sling, as the solution for the Finnish Defense Forces,” said the Director‐ General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir.
“This is a vote of confidence in the Israeli defense establishment and a quantum leap in the defense collaboration between Finland and Israel.”
The David’s Sling Weapon System has been operation since 2017 and is a core component of Israel’s multi‐tier air‐ defense array.
“We are proud that Finland has chosen this important joint Israeli‐American system for their defense forces. In conjunction with the announcement, DDR&D’s Israel Missile Defense Organization has applied for US Government export approval for the system,” Head of the Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D) Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Daniel Gold added.
Rafael CEO & President, Major General (res.) Yoav Har‐Even welcomed Finland’s choice of the “David’s Sling” system and thanked the Ministry of Defense for promoting the project.
“The advanced “David’s Sling” system has garnered great interest worldwide and we are incredibly proud of the system’s development and capabilities. This is an agreement that will go to upgrading Finland’s air defense capabilities. It joins the list of agreements we have already reached with the country and we expect that it will bring about more cooperation in the future.”
“The system will significantly strengthen the capability of Finland’s air defense,” noted Commander of the Finnish Air Force, Maj Gen Juha‐Pekka Keranen.
“Together with the commissioning of the F‐35 and the already fielded ground‐based air defense systems in service, the air defense of Finland will be very substantial on the European scale.”
The David’s Sling Weapon System is a central component of Israel’s multi‐layered defense system and serves as an intermediate layer between the Iron Dome and Arrow missile‐defense systems.
David’s Sling is a national defense system designed to deal with advanced threats, provide additional interception opportunities compared to the Arrow and Iron Dome weapon systems, and serve as a defense against cruise missile attacks. The system is based on a motor interceptor with exceptional maneuverability and speed.
The system has high interoperability capabilities with external systems through a dedicated architecture, allowing flexibility while operating as part of an air‐defense array which consists of numerous diverse systems. The Finnish version of the system will be manufactured and integrated as a collaboration between Israeli, American and Finnish contractors, led by Rafael and Raytheon.
