One of Israel’s largest manufacturers of advanced weapons — the company “Rafael” has won the Finnish tender for the purchase of SAMs for “high altitude defenses” (ie, for high-altitude defense from 100 km and above).
It is worth noting that the company managed to defeat four major international companies in this tender. Here they are:
1. MBDA, a well-known giant in the security industry.
2. Kongsberg is a Norwegian supplier of defense and space systems and products, well known for its advanced and high-quality NASAMS (mobile SAM system), used, among others, to protect Washington. By the way, it is these systems, capable of effectively intercepting cruise missiles and UAVs, that the U.S. has handed over to Ukraine.
3. DIEHL, which offered the Finns IRIS-T short- and medium-range interceptors equipped with a cooled infrared seeker (available in air-to-air and surface-to-air versions).
4. Another Israeli group — the Israel Aerospace Industries — offered Lightning missiles that proved to be very successful in India, with whom they signed massive contracts for their production for the Indian army. By the way, these missiles, of course, are also available to our Navy. This model was also developed by the concern in a ground-based modification, which was also purchased by India for the defense of major cities.
Finally, the first place in the tender, as has already been said, went to Rafael, which proposed the “David’s Sling” — a system better known as the “Magic Wand”, Israel’s advanced multi-level missile defense system designed to intercept short-range ballistic missiles and large-caliber unguided missiles with a launch range of 70 to 300 kilometers.
Now, try to guess who came in second place? That’s right! The second Israeli company that participated in the tender was Israel Aerospace Industries!
In other words, both Israeli companies have defeated the three strongest international competitors, all of them long-standing and well-known security giants, with budgets of tens of billions of euros.
Rafael will now provide Finland, which seriously considers the risk of Russian attack and invasion attempts, with the David’s Sling, which will give the country the capability to intercept, even at very high altitudes, all kinds of aerial threats — ballistic and cruise missiles, drones, and of course fighter and aerial reconnaissance aircraft flying at high altitudes. Finland had no such capabilities before.
The first places won by both Israeli companies in competition with other leading international companies clearly demonstrate the enormous potential and advantages of the Israeli military-industrial complex, which provides, above all, reliable air defense for its country. We certainly see this as a special blessing from G-d, who wraps the miracles that He performs for the people of Israel into a natural order.
Today, when the mass media and social media are full of apocalyptic scenarios describing possible horrific attacks against Israel with missiles and drones, the news of the Israeli missile defense system’s victory is meant to give us more confidence in our abilities and to remind us that we are the ones with the best “natural” defense systems in the world. But also, and more importantly in our eyes, we have the help of the Almighty, His promise and blessing, “The guardian of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep”
This blessing can be wrapped in “natural garments” (the incredible success of systems like Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, etc.), but sometimes it is revealed to us without the “natural garment”.
For instance, recall the attack by dozens of rockets from Lebanon during the recent Pesach holiday celebration. Almost all of them (25) were intercepted by the Iron Dome, but still two reached Israeli population centers.
One hit the town of Shlomi, in the very center of the town, but it hit... a bank department which was empty because it was a holiday. So, by the grace of the Almighty, there were no casualties.
The second rocket, which could not be intercepted by the Iron Dome, landed in the village of Bacet, hitting a chicken coop which had been converted into a warehouse. Yet it did not hit the nearby house where the whole family was!
It is quite clear to us that all this is surely a blessing from the Almighty. Sometimes it is clothed in the natural order, and sometimes it appears to us through the direct miraculous providence of G-d! “Praise the Lord for He is good, for His kindness is Everlasting.”