November 26, 2012 – TEL AVIV – Israel has successfully test-fired Magic Wand, the successor to the Iron Dome interceptor that featured prominently in the recent Gaza conflict. And now, even before the aftershocks of the Israel-Gaza conflict dissipate, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have tested the next generation of anti-missile systems. The interceptor, also known as David’s Sling, was jointly developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the United States’ Raytheon. Magic Wand, it is understood, was developed against the Hezbollah missiles from Lebanon. The country is subject to threats from the Islamic militant group, perceived as the long arm of Iran. Israel is hoping the latest system in its arsenal will be useful in intercepting a variety of short-range ballistic and cruise missiles. The interception range for Magic Wand is between 70km and 75km. Each interceptor has been estimated to have cost around $1mn (£624,000) and expected to be fully operational in 2014. Testing was originally scheduled for 2013 but the critical situation of recent weeks has seen the schedule pulled forward. The Iron Dome interceptor successfully stopped over 400 missiles from the Gaza Strip. IDF statements indicate Iron Dome has a success rate of approximately 90 percent and the latest interceptor, it is hoped, will extend the same run. “The great success of the Iron Dome batteries during Operation Pillar of Defense proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the tremendous importance of anti-missile systems. Israel is a world leader in this department thanks to the Israeli defense industries and its developers,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a statement, adding, “The completion of the program will be a significant layer for Israel’s multi-tiered anti-missile defense system.” Officials in the Jewish state are reportedly pleased with the success of the latest interceptor, as its system is much more complex. –IB Times
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Thanks to the Israeli systems developers? Don’t you mean thanks to the US?
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I think they test a lot of defensive weapons before WW3 breaks out…
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Magic Wand (David’s Sling/Stunner) (Israel), Defensive weapons
Type
Short range, ground based, solid propellant, theatre defence missile system.
Development
A risk reduction and selection process was carried out by Israel, starting in June 2005, for a terminal missile interceptor system. Several proposals were made, but in May 2006 a development contract was awarded to a joint team led by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and Raytheon Missile Systems. The Magic Wand system will form the upper layer with Iron Dome (or Iron Cap) forming the lower layer of shorter range defences in Israel. The Magic Wand system is being designed to defend against Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM), unguided rockets, cruise missiles, guided bombs, aircraft, helicopters, and armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The missile used in the system is called David’s Sling in Israel, and Stunner in the US. The system is being designed to defend against ballistic missile and rocket threats launched from 40 to 200 or 300 km away. The programme is being jointly developed and funded by Israel and the US Missile Defense Agency, and will use technologies from the Python 5 and AIM-120 AMRAAM projects. One of the major design drivers is to keep the cost of the interceptor missile as low as possible, with a target cost significantly lower than that of the US PAC-3 missile. There have been proposals that the Magic Wand missile system could be used as a lower-cost lower layer beneath PAC-3 and MEADS batteries, or might now be used in place of Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). An unconfirmed report in June 2009 suggested that a version of the David’s
The complete article appears in the following publication:
Publication Title
Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems
Publication date
Dec 22, 2011
Section
Defensive weapons
Publication synopsis
Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems provides you with the most up-to-date open-source analysis of offensive ballistic and cruise missile systems in use or under development, plus similar information for defensive surface-to-air and anti-ballistic missile systems. Weapon entries include details of type, development status and description. Major operating modes, operational status, specifications and contractors, and illustrations for easy reference are also included. In addition, this resource offers an unclassified projects section and the complete text of all the major arms control treaties, descriptions of obsolete weapons, country inventories and contractors’ details.
Key contents include
•Offensive weapons
•Defensive weapons
•Arms control treaties
•Weapon inventories
•Obsolete systems
•Prime contractors’ addresses
Different sections provide in-depth detail covering
•Analysis
•Arms Control Treaties
•Contractors
•Country Inventories – In Development
•Country Inventories – In Service
•Defensive Weapons
•Glossary
•Obsolete Systems – Offensive/Defensive Weapon Systems
•Offensive Weapons
•Satellite Launch Vehicles
•Weapon Inventories – Offensive/Defensive Weapons Tables
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http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-Strategic-Weapon-Systems/Magic-Wand-David-s-Sling-Stunner-Israel.html
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After seeing the past events in Gaza, I am under the opinion that this was a Iranian sponsored
test of the Iron Dome System which performed very well but had the situation been at the other end of the country, the system might have been easily overwhelmed. If the rocket bombardment has been at each end of the country, we would be in a mid-east regional war.
In the past, the USA HAD a anti-missile defense and The Iron Dome System was primarily designed to shoot down the homemade rockets made in gaza and the ones shipped to them by Iran, who is now resupplying Hamas. Our anti-missile system was designed to shoot down heavy ballistic missiles coming from Russia
They are just getting their breath and we could see a wider conflict before Israel can reload its systems and get a new one on line.
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Always call it David’s sling, Israel. Don’t let the U.S. administration tell you to call it ‘magic wand.’
God doesn’t like ‘magic’, it’s pure idolatry. This is no time to go off the rails in any way, even though Barry will try to push you….
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David’s sling, Stunner,these off the cuff names are used to describe the new tried and tested weapon that will no doubt cause so much pain ,hurt ,harm death and destruction!. Yet it’s no longer a shocking realisation it’s just accepted become the norm. War no peace no solution man destroying fellow man. We have surpassed all expectations in today’s society with regards to technology we are even able to watch this destruction unfold in front of us with the touch of a button , in the form of a wrist watch, mobile phone, I pad ect. Amazing objects of communication have evolved and yet, we still fail to communicate peacefully , fairly, with a balanced view .I find myself asking the question is man really that intelligent after all ? The cost in terms of finance is huge and this money could be used for so many other desperate causes, the cost of human life is also huge, a total waste and then of course there’s the destruction of our planet earth our beautiful life source given to us with love , being destroyed by hatred .What a sad realisation we are destroying ourselves.
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