As Israel’s Iron Dome works overtime against Hamas-fired rockets, attention is turning to the next-generation air defense systems, the Iron Beam, which could be a game-changer for Israel’s protective measures.
Israel’s new laser-based system is set to make its debut on the battlefield in the near future, reports suggested earlier this week. However, although it is unclear when exactly the Iron Beam could be used operationally, almost two weeks of attacks from the Palestinian group Hamas certainly make the case for the new, high-energy laser weapon system.
Israel successfully tests groundbreaking laser defense system:
Originally scheduled to be deployed in 2025, Israel’s Defense Ministry is now speeding through its development after the outbreak of hostilities with Hamas, Britain’s The Telegraph newspaper reported on Monday. Newsweek has reached out to Israel’s Ministry of Defense via email for comment.
Experts say the Iron Beam will be considerably more affordable than its interceptor rocket counterpart, which costs upwards of $50,000 per missile. Instead, the system will only cost a negligible amount to fire its 100 kilowatt laser.
It is designed to be integrated into Israel’s existing air defense network, rather than serving as a full replacement of the Iron Dome system. Whereas the Iron Dome was developed explicitly to fend off small rocket strikes, according to military expert David Hambling, the Iron Beam has been designed with the emerging threat of unmanned aerial vehicles in mind.
He told Newsweek the Iron Dome is “the most successful system of its type in the world,” but in recent attacks, Hamas has attempted to either overwhelm it by firing more rockets than it can cope with at any one time, or by using up Israel’s supply of interceptor missiles. “Clearly there are limits to how many it [the Iron Dome] can stop,” he said.
Since October 7,2023 when Hamas militants started a campaign of attacks from the land, air and sea on Israel from the Gaza Strip, the group has maintained daily mortar, rocket and missile attacks across Israel. As Israel’s military launched extensive air strikes on Gaza, rockets and missiles rained down on southern Israeli villages and cities, as well as towards Tel Aviv and areas further north.
In one recent barrage, Hamas fired up to 5,000 rockets in just 20 minutes, Hambling noted, which would have incurred an astronomical cost for Israel to intercept.
CLICK HERE On Thursday, representatives for Hamas said they had launched air attacks on sites north of the Gaza Strip, and east, towards the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva. Palestinian militants targeted 21 Israel Defense Forces’ military positions with mortars and rockets in southern Israel on Wednesday, according to the U.S. think tank, the Institute for the Study of War. Hamas claimed responsibility for nine mortar and rocket attacks on Wednesday, the think tank said. The New Iron beam in full display. pic.twitter.com/XtnqDoAmUi The U.S., which quickly said following the outbreak of violence in the region that it would offer “all appropriate means of support” to Israel, has handed over interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome, officials confirmed. Given this cost to the Israeli military, the Iron Beam provides an “effectively unlimited magazine,” Hambling said. Unlike having a limited supply of interceptor missiles, the Iron Beam can keep “firing as long as it has a power supply, with a cost-per-shot of perhaps a dollar,” Hambling said. “It can rapidly switch from one target to the next, striking at the speed of light, rapidly knocking down rockets for as long as they keep coming.” But questions remain over the range and capabilities of the Iron Beam. It can target incoming threats from “a few hundred meters to up to several kilometers,” according to the manufacturers, but there is scant further detail on just how much distance the Iron Beam will be able to cover. “Each Iron Dome system covers an area of about 60 square miles,” Hambling said. “We do not know the range of Iron Beam, but the biggest challenge is likely getting sufficient range to cover this type of area rather than just a few square miles.” The laser will also not work in poor weather conditions, Uzi Rubin, former director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization within the Israeli Defense Ministry, told Newsweek. Its manufacturer, Rafael, and Israeli defense officials “successfully completed a series of ground-breaking live field tests” that intercepted missiles, drones and rockets as well as other threats in “various scenarios” back in 2022, they said at the time. Additional Information: The Defense Ministry released a video demonstrating the capability of the “Iron Beam,” (Hebrew: קֶרֶן בַּרְזֶל, keren barzel) laser-based defense system. During a test conducted in March 2022 in the Negev desert, the system is shown intercepting a rocket, a mortar, and a drone. The ministry has been evaluating the system for several years, shooting down a drone with it in 2021. The March tests were the first to be successful against the other threats, including unguided projectiles and anti-tank guided missiles. The laser, which is designed to shoot down smaller targets, is meant to complement Israel’s other missile defense systems – the short-range Iron Dome, the medium-range David’s Sling, and the long-range Arrow and Patriot systems – which are meant to intercept larger projectiles. The main benefits of using a directed energy weapon over conventional missile interceptors are lower costs per shot, unlimited number of firings, lower operational costs, and less manpower. There is also no interceptor debris to fall on the area protected. “This may sound like science-fiction, but it’s real,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “The Iron Beam’s interceptions are silent, they’re invisible and they only cost around $3.50” apiece, he added. By comparison Iron Dome missile interceptors each cost $100,000 to $150,000. The system has one significant limitation; it does not function well in low visibility, so the system will alsos be mounted on aircraft to fly above the clouds. The head of the ministry’s research and development team, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yaniv Rotem said, “The use of a laser is a ‘game changer’ and the technology is simple to operate and proves to be economically viable.” Source: Israelnationalnews, AP(screenshot-image), Thegatewaypundit, Newsweek Iron Beam Laser Defense System
