6/16/2017 Israel Is Testing An Air-To-Air Variant Of Its Dolphin-Nosed Stunner Missile - The Drive

Israel Is Testing An Air-To-

Air Variant Of Its Dolphin-
Nosed Stunner Missile
Stunner's small frame, blistering speed, dual mode seeker, high
maneuverability and hit-to-kill concept could make it the air combat
missile to have.
BY TYLER ROGOWAY JUNE 2, 2017

THE WAR ZONE AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES DAVID'S SLING DERBY F-35I

HIT-TO-KILL ISRAEL MISSILES MUNITIONS SAMS STUNNER

TESTING

USMDA

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TYLER ROGOWAY
View Tyler Rogoway's Articles

twitter.com/Aviation_Intel

I
srael is known to go its own way when it comes to its air combat
capabilities. In the past, this has included making
dramatic modifications to imported air warfare assets, and also developing
its own unique weapons and sub-systems. The country's guided munitions
and missile development and manufacturing abilities are especially strong,
and US assistance in the form of cross-corporate cooperation and foreign
aid have allowed the Israeli defense industry to field extremely high-tech
systems that are tailored to the country's specific needs. One of these
systems is the Stunner missile.

IS THE EUROPEAN VIETNAM EYES ISRAEL'S ISRAEL IS GETTING A ARROW MIS

METEOR AIR-TO-AIR DELILAH STANDOFF SINGLE F-35 TEST JET INTERCEPTS S
MISSILE REALLY THE MISSILE, AND F-16S UNLIKE ANY OTHER SAM FIRED AT I
BEST IN THE WORLD? COULD BE NEXT By Joseph Trevithick FOLLOW
JETS
By Tyler Rogoway By Tyler Rogoway Posted in THE WAR ZONE STRIKES
Posted in THE WAR ZONE Posted in THE WAR ZONE By Tyler Rogo
Posted in THE WA

The Stunner is the pointy-end of Israel's David's Sling air defense system,
which just went operational last April. Designed by both Israel's Rafael
and America's Raytheon, David's Sling makes up the center layer of the
multilayered pie that is Israel's complex integrated air defense system. It
sits above the Iron Dome anti-rocket and artillery system, and below the
Arrow ballistic missile defense system, and overlaps in capability with

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older Patriot missile batteries which it is intends to replace. It can be used

to shoot down short-range ballistic missiles, aircraft, drones, cruise
missiles and large artillery rockets.

RAFAEL
Stunner interceptor and booster

The missile is very fast, operating at hypersonic speeds as high as mach

7.5, and covers long ranges, up to about 175 miles depending on the
engagement dynamics. But this is when the Stunnder is configured as a
surface-to-air missile, where it uses a large booster to get it to altitude and
high speed. An air-to-air version would not have the benefit of an ungainly
booster, but it will benefit at launch from an aircraft's speed and altitude.

Stunner has a three-pulse motor that outputs different thrust levels during
different portions of its flight profile. In particular, it provides added
acceleration and maneuverability during the missile's terminal attack
phase. The Stunner carries no warhead, instead it is a hit-to-kill system, so
the missile can be built more compact and lighter, and more of its internal
space can be used for fuel than a traditional anti-air missile that carries a
heavy blast fragmentation warhead.

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rambo54 Follow
@reutersanders

#missiles
AA-Version of #Israel "#Stunner" missile on #IAF F-16I
2:55 PM - 2 Jun 2017

1 3

Above all else, the Stunner is unique because of its guidance system. The
missile uses three major sensors to guide it toward its target and to
pulverize it. A data-link provides the missile with mid-course updates so
that it can come within range of activating its novel dual-mode seeker. The
missile has a unique, canted "dolphin nose," which came to be as the result
of the demands of fitting both an electro-optical/imaging infrared sensor
and a active radar sensor in the compact nose section of the missile.

Israel's Newest Missile Defense System: David's Sling Weapon System

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The combination of these sensors make the Stunner extremely deadly and
unsusceptible to jamming and countermeasures. If the radar sensor is
jammed, the missile's optical seeker can continue to guide it during its
terminal phase of an attack. If active countermeasures attempt to confuse
the missile's optical seeker, the radar seeker will still remain locked onto
the target. Basically the configuration offers a higher kill probability and
better target discrimination than its single seeker progenitors, and its
imaging infrared seeker can likely be programmed to recognize and hit
specific parts of a target, like where a fighter is most vulnerable, or to
impact a rocket's warhead section and so on.

In comparison, nearly all modern western medium and long-range air-to-

air missiles use a data-link and active radar homing alone. You can read all
about the latest in western air-to-air missile capabilities in this past
feature linked here.

Harry Boone Follow

@towersight

Interesting.. Israel' David's Sling anti ballistic system' "Stunner"

missile spotted on an IAF F-16I
7:38 PM - 2 Jun 2017

2 5

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There has been talk that Stunner might be migrated from the ground to
the air, and could be a far more capable successor to the Derby air-to-air
missile, as well as possibly challenging the AIM-120 AMRAAM for longer-
range engagements. Adapting SAMs into other forms of missiles, and visa-
versa, is nothing new. Today the US Capital is guarded by an
internationalized ground-based version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM, known
as the Norwegian (or Networked) Advanced Surface to Air Missile System,
or NASAMS for short. The FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired SAM has been
adapted to arm helicopters with a light-weight and short-range air-to-air
missile. The AIM-9 Sidewinder was used for the MIM-72 Chaparral SAM
system, and the RIM-66 Standard missile airframe was adapted to become
the AGM-78 air-launched anti-radiation missile. And these are just a few
examples.

USAF
F-105 with a AGM-78 and AGM-45 under its wing heading out for a Iron Hand mission
over Vietnam.

Considering its speed, maneuverability, seekers, and hit-to-kill

configuration, it sounds like the Stunner would be a near ideal missile for
modern air-to-air warfare. One thing that comes to mind is that an air-to-
air Stunner could be especially useful for the IAF's F-35I fleet.

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Modifications to the F-35's internal weapons mounts could allow for more
than four Stunners to be carried internally at one time, as is currently the
case for the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Stunner is a slimmer, smaller missile
overall than the AIM-120. As such it may be possible to field six or eight of
these missile inside the F-35I's weapons bays, giving the jet a substantial
counter-air capability increase. A mix of two AIM-120s and four or six
Stunners may actually be the optimal loadout if modifications to the F-35's
internal racks can be made.

Israel already plans to make significant modifications to their F-35Is, and

they also intend to outfit the fleet with indigenous air-to-ground weapons,
so integrating the Stunner onto the new jet seems like it would be a highly
logical move. Stunner is already a fully networked missile design, with
lock-on-after launch capability even for short-range engagementsa
capability that is necessary for deployment from the F-35's internal
weapons stations.

Expanding the F-35's air-to-air magazine has been long a sticking point
with customers for the jet, and there are some other notional solutions
being floated, like Lockheed's Cuda, but that missile is likely shorter-
ranged and will not have the dual-mode seeker or blistering speed that the
Stunner has.

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IAF
F-35I

Turning Stunner into an air-to-air missile for the IAF could also lead to
export sales to other F-35 users. Even those air arms who don't operate the
F-35 could have a high interest in the Stunner's unique capabilities, and
there isn't another western missile that currently includes a data-link and
both an imaging infrared and radar seeker together on the missile at the
same time, not to mention some of the missile's other unique selling
points.

What remains an unknown is what type of range the air-to-air Stunner

would possess. But even if it can achieve only intermediate-to medium
ranges, that is still enough to make it an attractive new option for air arms
around the world, and especially for stealthy fighters that can get in closer
to enemy aircraft before attacking compared to their more vulnerable 4th
generation counterparts.

Now as tests proceed, we'll just have to wait and see if the Stunner can
truly stun the air combat universe.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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Reviews (163)

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Joe16 Leader

5 Jun
That's a nice advantage- being able to carry more than just 4 A-A missiles without
compromising LO. Am I right in thinking that the Brimstone uses dual mode? I
remember reading something about the RAF wanting to rush an additional order
through for them because they liked them so much for ops in Iraq and Libya.
What's the comparative size between a brimstone and a stunner? Sounds like they
might make a good pairing for A-G and A-A in an F-35?

Reply Share

Joe16
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Joe16
6 Jun
brimstone is a british anti tank missile with radio + laser + infra red guidance
stinner is an israeli anti air missile with radio +radar + infra red guidance

the british and the israelis don't share core weapons system since the late 70's
( gulf money pushing the british foreign o ce )
Reply Share

Joe16 Leader
6 Jun
Thanks, I thought that was the case. It's a shame that politics gets in the
way of a decent weapons combination...!

Reply Share

Tom Clark Leader

4 Jun Edited
"The Stunner carries no warhead, instead it is a hit-to-kill system..."

I seem to remember that the original version of the ASRAAM (with its imaging infrared
sensor) had been programmed to target the cockpit of the enemy aircraft. This was
apparently too gruesome for some, so they changed it to targeting the center of mass.

Personally, I think that's a great propaganda angle. "If you come up to face us, you're
going to die. No punching out at the last minute, honor satis ed. The rst hint you're
about to have that a
Bad Day will be 10 kg of frag warhead punching through your canopy into your lap. So
do yourself a favor, and call in sick."

Reply Share 9 Likes

AerialImaging Leader
4 Jun
Ugggh..... another one. England is getting hit.

Reply Share
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Reply Share

TJR Leader AerialImaging

4 Jun
mate the reports are disgusting... this ones huge.
multiple o enders, car ramming, shooting, cutting throats of crash victims,
situation is still active.

Reply Share 2 Likes

AerialImaging Leader TJR

4 Jun
Yes - the revised "strategy" of ISIS, etc..... bastards.

Reply Share

TJR Leader AerialImaging

4 Jun
i think this one will change the UK for a while, the violence seems
indicative of returning combatants

Reply Share

Show 43 more

AerialImaging Leader

4 Jun
SpaceX just launched it's reused Dragon capsule.

Reply Share 9 Likes

AerialImaging Leader AerialImaging

4 Jun
And.... the 1st Stage sticks the landing.

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Reply Share 12 Likes

roi joi Leader AerialImaging

5 Jun
You really need to start posting stu under your own by-line. In the meantime,
perhaps you could change your name to O Topic. Seriously, this constant inane
compulsion you have to shit all over everyone's feed, no matter what topic they
are writing about, with O/T stu , is seriously annoying.
Reply Share 1 Like

AerialImaging Leader roi joi

5 Jun
I am truly sorry you feel that way (not really). Look, myself and others
have requested an o -topic forum before but for whatever reason it
hasn't been implemented. Often my O/T posts are breaking news (such
as the London attack on Saturday, or just a personal story folks may nd
interesting. Regardless, I always post something directly related to the
article as well. If you don't care for them, just move on along, Sir. Others
seem to enjoy. Tyler can contact me directly if he wished me to adjust
and I will in a heartbeat.

Reply Share 7 Likes

AerialImaging Leader
3 Jun
Hey, Tyler Rogoway .... I'm seeing fresh chatter on Chinese submarines/submersibles.
You have anything in the works on the subject?

Reply Share 4 Likes

AerialImaging Leader
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AerialImaging Leader
3 Jun
(O/T) Another kooky photo. As we discussed the C-5 the other day, here is a shot I took
just as the rear ramp opened in ours after we transited from Ft. Campbell to Balad AB
in June, 2004 (via Moron AB in Spain). You can see the ladder/steps leading to the
passenger seating area upstairs. We were full of cargo, so you also see the pallet
transports arriving. I remember NOT being very excited at this moment... and the tour
bore those feelings out. It's funny, here is the exact location of this photo, where
Google maps shows another C-5 in 2017. Love that bird. (photo is oriented N/NW).

33.954252, 44.361560

Reply Share 9 Likes

AerialImaging Leader
3 Jun
(O/T) When the cheerleaders would visit Iraq, after they did their show, we would invite
them over to the SF pool. It is located exactly here: 33.219763, 44.217761

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Reply Share 13 Likes

phoenix00 Leader AerialImaging

3 Jun
Shall I hazard a guess what else went on?

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/2013/06/costanza-wink.gif

Reply Share 5 Likes

AerialImaging Leader phoenix00

3 Jun
I have no speci c info on that, but I guess you never know. :-)

Reply Share 2 Likes

DASSAULT phoenix00
4 Jun
My guess :
Special Forces > Special gallantry !
Does anyone except more than that from an elite ?
May be phone exchange, but must stay job focused, when on mission
abroad.
Back Home is another and private scenario

Reply Share 2 Likes

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phoenix00 Leader
3 Jun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQE6oRGo0vM
Just leaving this here :)

(Nice work as usual Tyler)

5 Greatest & 5 Worst Stone Cold Stunners

Reply Share 1 Like

LL65 Leader
3 Jun
How many can you t in a VLS. Might make a great ACM for the Navy.

Reply Share 3 Likes

Doood Leader
3 Jun Edited
Modi cations to the F-35's internal weapons mounts could allow for more than four
Stunners to be carried internally at one time, as is currently the case for the AIM-120
AMRAAM. The Stunner is a slimmer, smaller missile overall than the AIM-120. As such it
may be possible to eld six or eight of these missile inside the F-35I's weapons bays,
giving the jet a substantial counter-air capability increase. A mix of two AIM-120s and
four or six Stunners may actually be the optimal loadout if modi cations to the F-35's
internal racks can be made.

that made me feel all tingly on the inside....

6 air to air missles seems to alleviate the concern about not having enough weapons

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Reply Share 3 Likes

me myself and i Doood

4 Jun
the miniaturised kinetic kill missiles (2 competing) will give the F-35A & C eight -
twelve internal AMRAAM/AAM missiles. .. with the B model having 2 less.

Reply Share

[EASY] PHOENIX Leader

3 Jun
This system seems sweet right up to the point I saw Windows XP running their
command center. REALLY?

Reply Share 5 Likes

roi joi Leader [EASY] PHOENIX

3 Jun
Yeah, seriously.

That needs to be Linux. Only Linux has the support for nanosecond timing and
the kinds of high-speed interrupts required to make this system as responsive
as it needs to be.

Reply Share 1 Like

Ed Willson In uencer roi joi

3 Jun
Linux is great...but it's not any faster. Also the MS environment allows a
massive number of systems to be maintained by smaller sta .

Reply Share

roi joi Leader Ed Willson

3 Jun
MSFT still has the best development environment, but Win's OS
calls are just not up to real-time work.

I worked for a telco where I rewrote their core switching software

in C/C++. There's no way that could have been ported to Windows
(or Unix) as the OS support just isn't there. Intel and RedHat spent
millions putting all kinds of great features into Linux, like the
above, and installable le systems, ect to support massive or tiny
systems. Amazon has been running on Linux for over a decade
now. NOBODY runs a system that large on Win. It's just not up to
the task.

As for speed, it depends on what you're doing. If you're doing a lot

of GUI, there's probably no di erence, but Windows is not a safe
environment for critical defense system
See more

Reply Share 2 Likes

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