The new upgrade, expands its engagement envelope, improves radar sensitivity, and enhances its ability to counter low‑flying, maneuverable threats.
By Hezy Laing
Israel has completed a major upgrade to the David’s Sling missile defense system, transforming it into a far more capable shield against the rapidly evolving Iranian threat network.
Developed jointly by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the U.S. defense giant Raytheon, David’s Sling was originally designed to intercept medium‑ to long‑range rockets and cruise missiles at ranges of 40 to 300 kilometers.
The new upgrade, confirmed by defense officials in early 2026, expands its engagement envelope, improves radar sensitivity, and enhances its ability to counter low‑flying, maneuverable threats emerging from Iran and its proxies.
Iran’s expanding missile ecosystem presents an increasingly complex challenge for David’s Sling.
Tehran has accelerated production of low‑altitude cruise missiles like the Paveh and Soumar, fielded hypersonic‑claiming systems such as the Fattah‑1 and Fattah‑2, and proliferated Shahed‑136 and Shahed‑238 explosive drones to Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias.
These weapons fly irregular trajectories, use GPS‑jamming, and often launch in coordinated salvos. The upgraded David’s Sling is engineered specifically to counter these multi‑vector, precision‑guided threats.
The system’s interceptor, the Stunner missile, now features upgraded seekers capable of tracking targets with smaller radar cross‑sections, including Iranian‑supplied Paveh cruise missiles, Shahed‑type UAVs, and the new Arman ballistic missile, unveiled by Tehran in 2025.
According to Brig. Gen. (res.) Pini Yungman, head of Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Division, the upgrade “significantly improves David’s Sling’s ability to defeat complex, multi‑vector attacks that combine drones, cruise missiles, and precision rockets.”
The improvements were driven by operational lessons from the April 2024 Iranian missile and drone barrage, during which Israel faced more than 300 incoming threats launched from Iran, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon.
David’s Sling successfully intercepted multiple cruise missiles during that attack, but defense officials acknowledged the need for faster reaction times and better discrimination against low‑altitude threats.
The system’s radar, the EL/M‑2084 Multi‑Mission Radar produced by Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta division, has also been upgraded to detect slower, terrain‑hugging cruise missiles—one of the most challenging threats in Iran’s arsenal.
Defense sources say the radar’s processing power has been increased by more than 30 percent, enabling earlier tracking and more reliable interception windows.
The U.S. has also approved expanded funding for David’s Sling under the U.S.–Israel Missile Defense Cooperation Act, with Congress authorizing additional procurement for the U.S. Army, which selected the system in 2023 for its Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) program.
With Hezbollah deploying more than 150,000 rockets and Iran accelerating its regional missile proliferation, Israel’s upgraded David’s Sling is now positioned as a critical layer between Iron Dome and Arrow 3—one designed to meet the next generation of threats head‑on.
