Finland officially became the first buyer of Israel’s Sling of David: three reasons why not Patriot
The choice of the Sling of David, if you compare its characteristics and price with the Patriot PAC-3, already allows you to make an obvious choice, but there is another and probably even more important factor
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has officially announced the conclusion of an agreement to supply Finland with the Sling of David anti-aircraft missile system, which is responsible not only for destroying aerodynamic targets but also for intercepting ballistic missiles. The value of the deal was announced at EUR 317 million without disclosing the number of complexes, but given the price, it may be one unit.
This was a logical continuation of the US permission to export this system in August, due to the fact that this and other Israeli-made missile defense systems have a significant share of both American technology and money.
This is the first time this system has been exported. As previously reported, the contract may be extended in separate packages of EUR 216 million.
In this situation, it is also important to understand why Finland chose the Sling of David and not, for example, the Patriot PAC-3. And there are three reasons for this objectively.
Characteristics of Patriot PAC-3 vs. Sling of David
First, the capabilities of the complex are better than Patriot PAC-3. When it comes to destroying aerodynamic targets, the Patriot with GEM-T missiles can operate at a range of up to 160 km. “According to available information, the Sling of David has a launch range of up to 300 km.
As for intercepting ballistic missiles, both systems implement the main requirement – kinetic interception. For Patriot PAC-3 with MSE, the range is 60 km. This parameter is not disclosed for the “Sling of David”, but the minimum range of target interception, due to the use of a two-stage scheme in the Stunner missile (also known as SkyCeptor), is 40 km or more, which means that the range of interception of a ballistic target is objectively greater.
Another aspect is that the launch of missiles in the Sling of David is vertical, which means that there is no dead zone above the launcher, as in the Patriot. And the EL/M-2084 radar is more mobile than the US radar.
Price of Patriot PAC-3 vs. Sling of David
The price is a more than significant factor in any choice. And even one “Sling of David” fire unit for 317 million euros is much cheaper than the average cost of a complete Patriot PAC-3 fire unit. Moreover, the price is critically different. While the MSE missile is estimated to cost about $3 million, the Stunner missile is much cheaper.
How much cheaper is a matter of debate, as there are estimates that its cost is 3-4 times less, and when it comes to its integration into the new Patriot PAAC-4 version, Pentagon sources explained that it costs only 20% of the MSE cost.
That is, the initial cost of the system and its missiles in the case of the Sling of David is several times less than that of the Patriot PAC-3. At the same time, the existence of the Patriot PAAC-4 project directly indicates that this path is justified. In addition, a localized production facility is being set up in Romania specifically for this purpose.
Patriot deficit
And another more than important condition for choosing Finland could well have been simply the lack of Patriot’s production capabilities. Among the current customers still waiting for these systems are Morocco and Switzerland, the former ordered them in 2021 and the latter in April 2023.
To these should be added a potential contract with Poland to expand the number of these SAMs, with the new LTAMDS all-angle radar, by six batteries, while the US authorization covers 12 batteries. As well as the Pentagon’s own plans for another 20 batteries for its own needs, and other existing and potential orders from existing operators.
In contrast, the goal is to become the first operator of an air defense system that has better characteristics, is cheaper, and also has real combat use.
