Reports have emerged that Russia is in possession of Israel's Stunner Interceptor missile which
is part of David’s Sling air defense system.
According to a Chinese news site Sina, the Russian got it from Syria when the interceptor
landed intact in Syria and was recovered by Syrian military forces under President Bashar
Assad.
Viewers may note that Russia is supporting Assad’s regime in Syria.
Reportedly the missile was brought to Moscow for examination.
This could be a massive step back for Israel as well as the U.S since Stunner is considered
to be a 'state of the art’ system.
The importance of the incident can be gauged from the fact that even the U.S intervened
and asked Russia to return the missile.
In this video Defense Updates reports on how one of the most sophisticated Israeli American
interceptor missiles is now in Russian hands and what are the implications?
Let’s get started.
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Interceptor missiles are basically missiles that are designed to knock out incoming enemy missiles.
Missile defense is one of the most technologically challenging quests, it's like hitting a bullet
with another bullet.
So, missile interceptors are typically very complex and countries including the U.S are
working to master the technology.
On the surface, it looks like a defensive weaponry but there is much more to it as it
can disturb the balance of power.
For example, when two nuclear powers are involved it can unsettle the MAD equilibrium.
Mutually assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security
policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would
cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.
It is based on the theory of deterrence, which holds that the threat of using strong weapons
against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons.
The strategy is a form of Nash equilibrium in which, once armed, neither side has any
incentive to initiate a conflict or to disarm.
This balance will be disturbed if any country is able to field a fully functional missile
defense system that can defend against the enemy’s missile.
So, it is clear that not only missile interceptors involve the most advance tech but are also
strategically one of the most important military assets.
David's Sling also formerly known as Magic Wand, is an Israel Defense Forces military
system being jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon.
It is designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium-
to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 km (24.85 miles) to
300 km (186.41 miles)
The missile's development was overseen by Israel Missile Defense Organization and the
US Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency.
David's Sling is meant to bolster the second tier of Israel's theater missile defense system.
The name David's Sling comes from the biblical story of David and Goliath.
It became operational in April 2017
David's Sling uses the Stunner missile to destroy the incoming enemy projectiles.
The Stunner missile is designed to intercept even the newest generation of tactical ballistic
missiles at low altitudes, such as the Russian Iskander and the Chinese DF-15
The 9K720 Iskander is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system produced and deployed
by the Russian Federation.
It is deployed since 2006.
The Iskander has several different conventional warheads, including a cluster munitions warhead,
a fuel-air explosive enhanced-blast warhead, a high explosive-fragmentation warhead, an
earth penetrator for bunker-busting and an electromagnetic pulse device for anti-radar
missions.
The missile can also carry nuclear warheads.
It has a max payload of 700 kg or 1540 lbs and has a range of 500 km or 310 miles.
It has an excellent accuracy of 7 m and its mobile as it can be fired from Transporter
Erector Launcher.
The Dong-Feng 15 (a.k.a. DF-15) is a short-range ballistic missile developed by the People's
Republic of China.
The DF-15 uses a solid fuel, single-stage rocket.
It is vertically launched from an eight-wheeled transporter erector launcher.
The missile's trajectory is guided using small thrusters and an inertial guidance system
on the warhead.
The terminal velocity of the missile is over Mach 6.
It can deliver a 500–750 kg (1,100–1,650 lb) payload up to 600 km or 370 mi, with an
accuracy of 300 m circular error probability (CEP).
Stunner uses on-board dual CCD/IR seekers to distinguish between decoys and the actual
warhead of the enemy missile, in addition to tracking by Elta EL/M-2084 Active electronically
scanned array multi-mode radar.
The multi-stage interceptor consists of a solid-fuel rocket motor booster, followed
by an asymmetrical kill vehicle with advanced steering for super-maneuverability during
the kill-stage.
A three-pulse motor provides additional acceleration and maneuverability during the terminal phase.
David's Sling owes much to the SPYDER program's modified Python 5 and DERBY seeker technology
As per the report, two interceptors from the David Sling’s anti-missile system were fired
in July 2018 at missiles launched from Syria and which seemed to be heading toward Israel.
The projectiles fired from Syria were identified as Russian-made OTR-21 Tochka missiles (also
known as SS-21 Scarab missiles) and were in the air for a minute and a half.
The missiles can carry a 500 kg or 1102 lb warhead and have a range of 100 kilometers
(60 miles).
Initially, Israeli forces estimated that missile will reach Israeli territory.
In response, Israel launched two Stunner missiles to intercept the incoming threat.
But as the interception was in progress, the David Sling’s mission computers determined
that the Syrian missiles were going to fall short and hence did not pose a risk to Israel.
The first Stunner was self-detonated by the Israeli Air Force when it was flying over
northern Israel streaking towards its target.
As per some accounts, the second fell inside Syria and this one is now thought to be in
Russian hands.
According to SINA, Israel and the United States asked Russia to return the missile.
Details of the report were not confirmed by Russia.
The Israel Defense Forces said it does not comment on foreign reports.
The IDF defended the deployment of the interceptor missiles at the time, saying its forces had
acted correctly given the short amount of time there was to act.
However, the Israeli Army said that the technical reasons for why the missiles failed to hit
their targets could not be published due to security concerns.
It is to be noted that at the time it was seen as unlikely the the missile will be recovered
intact by Syrian forces and used by Russia to gather intelligence about the air defense
system’s capabilities.
One Black Hawk was abandoned by US special forces in Pakistan during the operation to
kill Osama bin Laden on 1 May 2011.
Several sources indicate that Pakistan allowed Chinese officials to examine the Black Hawk
wreckage This helped China to develop the Z-20 which
was showcased during the 5th China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin recently.
Russia could also take this kind of route to develop or improve its own interceptor.
Another important aspect is that if the Russians have a better understanding of the interceptor,
they will also be able to develop ways to circumvent it and it's future iteration.
All in all, it can be said that an intact Stunner in Russian hands is not good news
for Israel and the U.S