Paris Air Show 2023: RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Unveils Sky Sonic Hypersonic Missile Interceptor
At the Paris Air Show 2023 RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems unveiled “Sky Sonic,” an advanced interceptor developed to counter the growing threat of hypersonic missiles. It is worth noting that the unveiling occurred two weeks after Iran announced its first hypersonic missile, FATTAH, which it claims has a range of 1,400 kilometers and a maximum speed of 15 Mach. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, Director General of the Ministry of Defense Major General (Ret.) Eyal Zamir, and SIBAT BG President (Res.) Yair Kulas attended the unveiling of the new system.
According to RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems, the “Sky Sonic” project, which has been secretly in development for some time, was developed as a ‘groundbreaking defense response’ to the hypersonic missile threat, and that the system will cause a ‘major technological leap’ in this field. According to the company, Sky Sonic, which is designed with exceptional maneuverability and high-speed capability, effectively neutralizes hypersonic missiles that move ten times faster than sound with unrivalled accuracy and stealth.
Sky Sonic, a two-stage missile system, is intended for vertical launch and high acceleration in order to rapidly reach the edge of the atmosphere, where hypersonic missiles are expected to arrive. While the first stage brings the interceptor to approximate height, the kinetic interceptor, which separates from the booster in the second stage, eliminates the approaching hypersonic missile with the hit-to-kill mechanism. The company did not provide any additional information about the missile’s technical specifications or specific features. However, like Rafael’s other interceptors, “Sky Sonic,” which is expected to have similar features to David’s Sling, is expected to have modular and flexible architecture.
Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Chairman of RAFAEL said, “RAFAEL has identified a marked increase and arousing interest in the international arena with proven operational capabilities and a geopolitical reality that has created many opportunities. We are following the developments and emerging threats in the current security context and are developing the most advanced defense systems. Project Sky Sonic is an innovative, unique development of its kind for the hypersonic weapon threat.”