Israeli Defense Company Rafael Develops World’s First Hypersonic Missile Defense System ‘Sky Sonic’

input2023.06.15 07:43
correction2023.06.15 07:43

Israeli defense company Rafael, the developer of the ‘Iron Dome’, said it is developing the world’s first hypersonic missile defense system.

According to Raphael on the 14th (local time), the company has been developing the defense system, dubbed ‘Sky Sonic’, for three years, and will be unveiled at the Paris Air Show next week.

The company emphasized, “The interceptor missile is designed to achieve exceptional maneuverability and speed, and can effectively neutralize hypersonic missiles flying at speeds of five times the speed of sound or more.”

Most of the existing air defense systems intercept targets within an altitude of 20 km, and the ballistic missile defense system intercepts targets at an altitude of 70 km, which is outside the earth’s atmosphere. Skysonic is designed to intercept hypersonic missiles at altitudes between 20 and 70 km, where they maneuver to evade interception by conventional air defenses, Rafael added.

Although the company cannot predict the exact actual use schedule, it also announced plans to conduct real-world tests in the near future.

“We started research and development a few years ago with the threat of hypersonic missiles in mind,” said Raphael Chairman Yuval Steinitz. .

He added that the mid-range air defense network ‘David Sling’ used by the Israeli military in practice can also technically counter supersonic missiles, but Skysonic specializes in countering hypersonic missiles.

It is said that the hypersonic missiles claimed to be possessed by Russia and Iran are difficult to intercept with the existing air defense network because they maneuver at a speed of more than five times the speed of sound. In particular, Iran, an enemy of Israel, recently announced the development of a supersonic missile called ‘Patah’ (Persian, Conqueror) that flies at a speed of Mach 13-15 and accurately strikes a target 1400 km away.

Hankyung.com reporter Shin Hyun-bo greaterfool@hankyung.com