Finland to buy "David's Sling" from Israel

Finland said on April 6 that it will purchase Israel’s "David’s Sling" missile defence system in an initial deal worth some 316 million euros ($344 million,) in an announcement made the day after it joined the NATO military alliance.

“The David’s Sling system will extend the operational range of Finland’s ground-based air defence capabilities significantly,” the statement said.

“This acquisition will create a new capability for the Finnish Defence Forces to intercept targets at high altitudes. At the same time we are continuing the ambitious and long-term development of Finland’s defence capability in a new security environment,” said Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen.

"David’s Sling", produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is capable of intercepting rockets and missiles at a range of 40-300 kilometres (25-185 miles). The statement said that Finland’s minimum flight altitude requirement for the system was set at 15,000 meters. (9.3 miles.)

"David’s Sling", also known as the "Magic Wand", has been operational in Israel since 2017 and makes up the middle tier of Israel’s multi-layer missile defence capabilities, which also included the short-range Iron Dome and a top level of  Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, which are intended to engage long-range ballistic missiles.

This marks the first foreign sale of the system.