The company is steadily growing internationally with orders totalling $2.4 billion and sales of $1.8 billion for 2012

Israel’s second largest government-owned defence company—Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, designs, develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of high-tech defence systems for air, land, sea and space applications. Rafael’s know-how is embedded in almost all Israel Defense Forces (IDF) systems in operation today. The company is steadily growing internationally with orders totalling $2.4 billion and sales of $1.8 billion for 2012.

Rafael has a slew of air defence systems, some of which it exhibited for the first time in its entire portfolio of aerial solutions and systems at Aero India 2013 in Bengaluru. The versatility of the systems has captured the imagination of the international community.

Iron Dome is an air defence system to counteract shortrange ballistic threats. Developed in less than three years, Iron Dome has in the last two years intercepted over 500 rockets that were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, with a success rate of over 80 per cent.

Spyder, or the Scientific Python Development Environment, is a quick reaction, low level surface-to-air missile system designed to counter attacks by aircraft, helicopters unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and precision-guided munitions. The system provides effective protection of valuable assets, as well as first-class defence for forces located in the combat area. Spyder incorporates Rafael’s most advanced, proven performance air-to-air missiles—the Derby active radar (RF) missile and Python-5, a dual waveband Imaging Infra Red (IIR) missile. The Spyder family includes Spyder-SR (short range) and Spyder-MR (medium range) systems.

David’s Sling is an affordable and lethal solution against long-range artillery rockets (LRAR), short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM), cruise missiles (CM) and traditional air defence threats. The system provides optimum protection for the homeland as well as forward deployed forces. David’s Sling is in development by Rafael, in partnership with Raytheon USA. The system has already completed its first successful full interception test.

Python-5 is a fifth-generation air-to-air missile that provides the pilot engaging an enemy aircraft with a full sphere launch capability. It can be launched from very short to beyond-visual ranges (BVR) with greater kill probability, excellent resistance to countermeasures, irrespective of evasive target manoeuvres or deployment of countermeasures. It is also offered in an air defence configuration and its features include excellent acquisition and tracking performance; target lock-on-before and after launch capability and greater probability of kill.

Derby is an active radar air-to-air missile that provides fighter aircraft with outstanding and effective performance in both short ranges and BVR intercepts. The missile enables operational flexibility and multi-shot capability and can be launched at an enemy aircraft day or night and in all-weather conditions. It offers excellent performance and manoeuvrability in both medium- and short-range engagements. The missile is also offered in an air defence configuration and its features include—active radar seeker, look down/shoot down capability, lock on before launch mode for tight dogfights and lightweight.

Barak is a mature, operational anti-missile point defence naval surface-to-air missile system, designed to protect combat vessels against sea skimming missiles and aircraft threats. Barak is effective against highly manoeuvring, supersonic and low-altitude threats, as well as low radar cross section (RCS) targets. It is also effective against a full variety of free space threats. It is designed to engage multiple targets simultaneously.