Israel’s Iron Beam Laser Air Defence System Tested in Battle
Israel has used a new air defense laser to shoot down Hezbollah drones in the current conflict in the Middle East, it has been confirmed. What is described as an adapted version of the Iron Beam system made its combat debut last October, and the definitive version should be fielded by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later this year, joining an already formidable, layered air defense network.
The use of the Iron Beam — also known by its Hebrew name Magen Or — was announced by the IDF, Israeli Air Force (IAF), and defense contractor Rafael, in a joint statement. These three organizations, it is said, “executed an accelerated development program to deploy revolutionary interception systems,” as part of an effort that also involved Israel’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development.
The crash program saw the Iron Beam fielded by the IAF Aerial Defense Array, which used prototypes of the high-power laser to successfully intercept “scores of enemy threats.”
Israeli media outlets described the Iron Beam as initially deployed as a “scaled-down version” of the definitive system, but provided no further details of how it differed or how the batteries were set up.
In its definitive form, Iron Beam is trailer-mounted and uses a directed-energy weapon to destroy targets, including rockets, mortars, and drones. In the past, reports described the system as firing “an electric 100-150 kW solid-state laser that will be capable of intercepting rockets and missiles.”
In April 2022, IDF Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem said that the Iron Beam had been tested at “’challenging’ ranges and timings,” according to the Times of Israel. “The use of a laser is a ‘game changer’ and the technology is simple to operate and proves to be economically viable,” Rotem added.
That particular test included the “interception of shrapnel, rockets, anti-tank missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles, in a variety of complex scenarios,” according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. “Israel is one of the first countries in the world to succeed in developing powerful laser technology in operational standards and demonstrate interception in an operational scenario.”
[embed]https://vimeo.com/1089193827[/embed] Recent reports put the cost of a single Iron Beam shot closer to $2.50.
Regardless, this is a huge difference compared to the roughly $50,000 price tag — which is among the lowest estimates — for a single Tamir interceptor missile.
At the same time, laser weapons do have limitations, including their short-term magazine depth being limited to how many successive shots they can fire before thermal loads require the system to cool down. Additionally, laser systems don’t function as well in heavy cloud cover and other inclement weather.
“We can only shoot down with a laser what we can see,”
Rotem previously told the Times of Israel.
At the same time, a laser weapon of this kind is very much a point-defense weapon, with its short range meaning that multiple systems will be needed to provide coverage of a significant area. In some situations, even a single, very large military base might require multiple such systems to provide adequate defense.
Source: The War Zone
