Israeli Defense Contractor Rafael Develops Hypersonic Missile Interceptor System

TEL AVIV – Defense contractor Israel, Rafael, announced that it has developed an interceptor defense system hypersonic missile.

Rafel’s breakthrough is a counterpoint to progress Iran which previously launched its first hypersonic missile; Fattah missile.

According to Rafael, the interceptor missile system named “Sky Sonic”, which has been in development for about three years, will be demonstrated for the first time at the Paris Air Show next week.

Rafael officials said the company had just been granted approval by the Ministry of Defense to disclose the system.

“[Sistem] the Sky Sonic missile represents a major technological leap in hypersonic missile defense,” the company was quoted as saying APThursday (15/6/2023).

“Designed with outstanding maneuverability and high speed capabilities, it effectively neutralizes hypersonic missiles [yang bergerak dengan kecepatan lebih dari lima kali kecepatan suara] with precision and stealth (stealth) unrivaled,” he said.

The company cannot provide timeline when will the interceptor missile be ready for use but says it will make its first test flight in the near future.

Speaking to reporters, Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Rafael, said the company had identified a potential hypersonic missile threat several years ago and started research and development efforts.