Deal worth $100M will create missile- intercept system

By David Wichner

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 10.27.2009

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded two contracts worth more than $100 million by an Israeli government contractor to design and develop a new missile-defense system.

The contracts with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. will fund development of the David’s Sling Weapon System, a joint program of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

The mobile system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range ballistic missiles, large-caliber rockets and cruise missiles in their terminal, or ending, phase of flight.

Israel is building up its defenses to counter missiles and unguided rockets from Syria and Lebanon, and the threat of longer-range missile attacks by Iran.

One contract was awarded to co-develop the Stunner interceptor, the system’s missile component. Another contract was awarded for the development, production and technical support of the system’s launcher component.

Mike Booen, Raytheon’s vice president of advanced-security and directed-energy systems, said the Stunner system offers “a near-term and affordable solution” to the threat of large-caliber rockets and short-range ballistic missiles, which he said are inexpensive, plentiful, easily concealed and largely exempt from international arms-control accords.

“The David’s Sling interceptor is designed to be a very low cost alternative to the 40- to 250-kilometer-threat missiles,” Booen said in an e-mailed statement.

“It has to be very low-cost because it doesn’t cost the enemy very much to build these threats, and these threats already face the Israelis as well as U.S. troops deployed overseas. That is why we’re hustling. … The warfighters need this now.”

The eventual cost of the Stunner systems was not available, Raytheon said.

Rafael Missile Division general manager David Stemer said in a statement that the project partners are responding to worldwide demand for “affordable missile defense.”

The missile will be developed and produced by Raytheon in Tucson, while work on the launch unit will be performed in Tucson, another Missile Systems site in Huntsville, Ala., and potentially a site in Louisville, Ky., Raytheon spokeswoman Nicole Stewart said.

Though David’s Sling is a joint project, Israel is expected to be the first user of the system in its initial phase, Stewart said.

Like the United States, Israel is developing a multilayer missile-defense system to counter enemy missiles and rockets at different ranges.

Haifa-based Rafael is developing another mobile system, called Iron Dome, to counter shorter-range threats. Israel already fields Patriot and Arrow missiles for longer-range threats.