Rafael unveiled a development plan for the "SkySonic" interceptor missile

About a week after Iran unveiled its new "Fateh" missile, and claimed that it has hypersonic capabilities (a speed higher than the speed of sound) in a way that would make it difficult for Israeli defense systems to intercept it, Rafael unveiled a development plan for the "SkySonic" interceptor missile intended intercept hypersonic missiles tens of kilometers high.
Rafael says that the interception system is in advanced stages of development and will soon conduct its first flight tests. Barfael refuses to specify the planned timetables for the completion of the development and say that engineering teams on its behalf have been working on it for several years, before the threat of hypersonic missiles came up on the world's security agenda. The unveiling of the development today comes against the background of Rafael's intention to present the missile next week as part of the air show to be held in La Bourge near Paris, in France.
The first use of hypersonic missiles was made only in the last months of the war between Russia and Ukraine, when the Russian Air Force launched Kizhal missiles which are considered hypersonic towards targets in Ukraine. Unlike normal ballistic missiles, a hypersonic missile moves at speeds of more than Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound) and it maneuvers at very high speeds in a way that challenges the existing active defense systems (like arrow missiles). At the core of the new interception system is an innovative technology developed at Rafael and the company refuses to provide details about it.
Rafael Chairman Yuval Steinitz said this afternoon in a press briefing that the technology on which the system operates is not in the hands of any other body in the world and that Rafael is ahead of many companies in the world in this field by about two decades. He added that the development plan of "Kela-Had" is financed entirely from research funds And the development of the company and for the time being does not receive any support from the state through the Ministry of Defense: "Those who thought we were sleeping on the guard are now receiving proof that we are very deep in the development process on this issue," said Steinitz.
Rafael's CEO, Maj. Gen. Yoav Har Even said that the company's engineering teams have been working on the development of a "sharpshooter" for about three years: "Already then, we decided that the hypersonic threat should be treated as a threat that requires a response, similar to other technological solutions that we have put forward for Israel's security over the years, from the Iron Dome and David's Slingshot to the Magen Or program to intercept rockets using a powerful laser," he said.
The "Magan Or" system is an innovative energy weapon that should allow the interception of rockets and mortar bombs at ranges of about ten kilometers, while significantly reducing the costs of the interception that is currently done using Iron Dome interceptors. This system is also based on a unique technology that Rafael developed on its own and is expected to be integrated into the Iron Dome system. According to estimates, the first operational deployment of Magen Or will be already within the next year.