DHAKA: Israel successfully tested its newest missile defence system on Wednesday, a key step toward making the third and final leg of the country’s three-part defence system operational by next year.

Israel’s defence ministry said, reports TDS.

‘David’s Sling,’ also known as ‘Magic Wand’, is designed to intercept projectiles with ranges between 70 kilometres and 300 kilometres, and is aimed primarily at countering the large arsenal of Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon and those of president Bashar Assad’s government in Syria.

The defence ministry said the system, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and US-based Raytheon Co, detected and destroyed a test ballistic missile over on Wednesday morning and marked a ‘step forward’ toward its scheduled deployment next year.

It has also deployed the Iron Dome system against short-range rockets from the Gaza Strip and the Arrow system for longer-range threats from Iran. Together, the three components will complete what calls its ‘multilayer missile defence’.

BDST: 1750 HRS, NOV 20, 2013
RoR/BSK