Israel's Iron Beam laser air defense system is set to become operational in the second half of 2025, and now the "National Defense" website has published comments about the system from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems chairman Yuval Steinitz.
"We had to find a way to bypass the atmosphere and keep the lasers as powerful as they were when they were fired," Steinitz said addressing the fact that the atmosphere absorbs part of the beam.
Iron Beam is a high-power laser system for ground-based air defense, against aerial threats (rockets, mortar bombs, drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles). The Ministry of Defense directorate of defense (DDR&D) (MAFAT) is leading the project together with Rafael, the main developer, and Elbit Systems.
The system constitutes a technological breakthrough on a global scale, with its high power: 100 kilowatts. The power reflects the strength of the beam, the stronger it is, the more threats it can deal with. Iron Beam has proven its capabilities in a series of trials, and is intended to be a complementary system to Iron Dome, which is designed to intercept rocket threats within a range of 40 kilometers, while Iron Beam has an interception range of up to 10 kilometers.
Steinitz said that after locking onto a target, Iron Dome's algorithms take over in a feedback loop that expands at a rate of "hundreds of times per second." A feedback loop is a process in which AI-based decisions are continuously collected. According to the report in "National Defense," the system will automatically decide which interceptor is relevant to the threat, Iron Dome or Iron Beam. Rafael's chairman noted that the laser system has been tested up to a range of "tens of kilometers," and that it is continuing to improve its range.
Significant cost savings
The major benefits that Iron Beam will provide lie in assisting the air defense system and major cost savings. Interceptions using Iron Dome are estimated at about $30,000 each, and at least some of them could be replaced by Iron Beam.
The Ministry of Defense did not disclose the estimated costs of interceptions by Iron Beam, but these can be learned from other countries that are engaged in the field. The cost of an interception by South Korea's Block I system with a range of three kilometers and a 20 kilowatt power is only $1.5, while interceptions by the Dragon Fire system being developed by the UK is estimated at $13.
Steinitz declined to specify how many Iron Beam systems will be deployed in Israel, but according to reports, there are ten Iron Dome batteries deployed throughout the country. The need to combine the laser with an Iron Dome batter is so that they can back each other up, also due to the expected limitations of Iron Beam. One of the disadvantages of a laser is that cloudy weather, fog, or mist limit its operation and hamper its effectiveness.
Iron Beam also fires in a column and moves from target to target. Therefore, if there is a barrage, only one threat can be dealt with at a time. Faced with the technological challenges of the laser, Steinitz explained how the system operates, saying that it launches hundreds of tiny beams the size of a coin towards the target. When a single beam is detected by telescopic reflection, additional beams are directed at the target - and the energy focus results in a rapid interception of the target.
"National Defense" notes that Rafael has begun to present models of Iron Beam at exhibitions that include mobile, stationary and naval systems, and these have been brought to exhibitions in the US, Singapore and the UAE.
The company told the website that the system's sales targets will depend on the Israeli government: "If the Ministry of Defense sees that it is acceptable to share this technology with our friends and partners around the world, then this is something we are likely to receive a lot of interest in."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 29, 2025.
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