Tel Aviv: Amid heightened tensions in the Middle East over the possibility of Iran’s retaliation to Israel’s October 26 missile attack targeting military infrastructure in Tehran, Israel set to get the brand new “Iron Beam” laser defence system within the next year, marking what officials describe as “a new era of warfare” against drones and missiles, in cooperation with its regional partners.
This week, Israel invested over $500 million in agreements with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the developer of the Iron Dome, and Elbit Systems to scale up production of the new defence shield. Named Iron Beam, this system is designed to deploy high-powered lasers to intercept a range of projectiles, including missiles, drones, rockets, and mortars, according to Israel’s defence ministry.
“It heralds the beginning of a new era in warfare,” Eyal Zamir, director general of the defence ministry, said in a statement earlier week. “The initial capability of the ground-based laser system… is expected to enter operational service within one year,” he said.
The IMoD signed a landmark deal worth approximately NIS 2 billion (over $500 million) to expand serial production of Israel’s first domestically developed laser interception system, the Iron Beam, with lead developers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems. pic.twitter.com/dtAvPluIqm
— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) October 28, 2024
Israel first introduced a prototype of the Iron Beam in 2021 and has since been working to make it operational.
These developments come as Israel continues conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, with its military also engaging in missile exchanges with Iran. Since Israel launched its campaign against Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 attack last year, it has also faced escalating tensions with the Iran-backed ‘Axis of Resistance’ across Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
According to experts, Iran and its allies have attempted to overwhelm Israel’s Iron Dome by launching various projectiles, including rockets, drones, mortars, and ballistic missiles.
How Israel’s Iron beam defence system will work?
The Iron Beam system operates from the ground using a high-power laser with a range from hundreds of meters to several kilometers. The laser targets vulnerable areas, such as the engine or warhead, heating them until the projectile is destroyed.
Unlike Israel’s traditional missile defence, which relies on radar to detect threats and then launches an interceptor missile, this laser approach is faster, cheaper, and potentially more efficient, experts say.
While each Iron Dome missile costs around $50,000—and Israel typically uses two per interception—the laser shield offers a cost-effective alternative, according to Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, CNN reported.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, co-developing the Iron Beam, noted that a laser defence system incurs “almost zero cost per interception.” In 2022, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated that each laser-based interception was expected to cost just $2.
Experts believe the laser system would be particularly effective against drones, which Israel’s Iron Dome has struggled to intercept.
While the Iron Dome effectively intercepts most projectiles, it is primarily designed for rockets and missiles, not drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are small, lightweight, and have a low radar signature, making them harder for Israel’s radar systems to detect in the same way as missiles. Drones also lack a fixed path and can change direction mid-flight, further complicating interception efforts.
