U.S., Israel weeks away from co-production deal for missile shield

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Israel are weeks away from reaching a draft agreement on a co-production of Israel's air defence system called David's Sling that the two countries jointly developed, the top U.S. missile defence officer told lawmakers on Thursday.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, or MDA, said discussions and negotiations continued with Israel on the David's Sling system, which passed a series of intercept tests in April and is expected to be operational next year.