Finland to receive Israeli "Sling of David" missile defense system amid Patrushev's threats
The missile defense system is capable of intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones at a distance of 40 to 300 km
The United States allowed Israel to sell the David's Sling missile defense system to Finland. The transaction is estimated at 316 million euros.
Source. This was reported by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
"This is an important step towards the realization of the historic agreement between Israel and Finland. <...> I am confident that it will be a new milestone in cooperation between our countries, which will improve our response to global and regional challenges," said Defense Minister Yoav Galant, thanking his American counterpart Lloyd Austin for approving the deal.
In the near future, the Ministries of Defense of Israel and Finland, as well as the manufacturer Rafael Advanced Systems, will take part in the signing ceremony of the purchase agreement.
"The Sling of David is a modern missile defense system developed by Rafael in cooperation with American experts. It is capable of intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones at a range of 40 to 300 km. In May of this year, the Israeli military used the system for the first time in combat, successfully intercepting rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Helsinki announced its intention to purchase the system on April 5, the day after joining NATO. The authorities justified this decision by the need to strengthen its defense. Previously, the David's Walk had not been exported abroad.
The day before, the State Department also approved $395 million worth of modernization services for Finland's M270 MLRS missile launchers.
At the end of June, it was reported that Finland had increased defense spending to its highest level in 60 years. Compared to 2022, they increased by 36% and reached $4.8 billion. The sharp jump occurred after the country joined NATO.
On July 31, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that Finland's leadership, incited by "Washington handlers," had set a course for "direct confrontation" with Russia.
According to him, "far-right groups" have become more active in the country, demanding the return of territories lost during the Second World War; and the West wants to recruit such citizens to participate in a separatist "national battalion" aimed at tearing Karelia away from Russia.
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