A David’s Sling system test in December 2015. Photo: United States Missile Defense Agency

i24 News – Israel and Finland on Sunday signed a historical deal for the procurement of the “David’s Sling.” The long-range air defense system, also known as the ‘Magic Wand,’ can intercept rockets and missiles at a range of up to 185 miles and is said to have shown “high-performance capabilities in the ongoing war” against Hamas.

According to the Defense Ministry’s statement, “the David’s Sling system is jointly developed by the IMDO within the Israel Ministry of Defense’s DDR&D and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) together with primary contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.” The Finnish version of the system is said to be jointly developed by Israeli and U.S. industries, and integrated into Finland’s command and control systems.

Earlier in August, Israel’s Ministry of Defense stated that the United States gave the green light to the deal. Israel then expressed “gratitude to the American government for approving the historic sale of the defense system – jointly developed by Israel and the U.S. – to a third country.”

The Finnish government’s approval of the “David’s Sling” purchase came one day after the nation officially joined NATO back in April following the security risks imposed by the protracted Russia-Ukraine war.