In a historic breakthrough, the IDF on Wednesday announced that an unnamed laser defense system similar to the much celebrated Iron Beam laser system has shot down dozens of aerial threats during the war. According to the Defense Ministry, the Iron Beam and a related family of laser defense systems, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, are the most advanced and operational lasers in the world, though England, the US, and others also have relatively advanced laser platforms. Sources have told the Post that what makes the Iron Beam the most advanced is its reliability in different kinds of weather, variable range, adaptability to different kinds of aerial threats, and the ability to place it in different contexts. Other sources said that they could not reveal the name of the sister-laser system to the Iron Beam, whose progress was being publicly revealed on Wednesday.
The implication was that the Lite Beam would be effective against drones and possibly against mortars but would not shoot down most rockets or long-range missiles, which Israel eventually hopes the Iron Beam will do. In general, laser defense technologies are viewed as a major part of future air defense because they would end the arms cost race in which Israel and other wealthy countries constantly waste huge amounts of money to protect themselves from weaker adversaries using cheap, low attack forms of threats. The sources added that the Lite Beam has hard kill neutralization capabilities, which can be integrated on any vehicular platform and operational capabilities, and that it can also be a component of the drone dome, which utilizes both soft kill and jamming. Rafael said that the Lite Beam “offers advantages such as engagement at the speed of light, an unlimited magazine, and negligible cost per interception.” On Wednesday, Gold said, “Our vision for deploying laser weapons was realized during the war with tremendous technological and operational success. IDF combat units displayed boldness in integrating and carrying out the first successful operational deployments of the systems, and the lessons learned will be applied as we deploy more operational laser systems. “Laser interception systems will provide an additional layer within Israel’s multi-tiered air defense array, which has been meticulously developed through the tireless efforts of the defense industries and Israel’s exceptional human capital. We will continue to advance this technology and deliver world-leading systems and capabilities to the IDF, turning vision into security in air, sea, land, and across every dimension.” Head of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Research and Development Brig.-Gen. Yehuda Elmakayes stated, “During the war, we deployed several high-power laser system prototypes, resulting in significant achievements, culminating in the world’s first successful high-power laser interceptions on the battlefield. “Throughout this period, we gained substantial experience in optimizing and operating laser technologies in the field. We are currently integrating these insights into the systems under development while expanding the range of laser-based systems to protect Israeli civilians and IDF forces.” In addition, lasers are generally, for now, thought of as defending against short- and medium-range threats, not ballistic missiles, which are generally shot down much farther away from a country’s defense line. For example, Israel’s Arrow 3 missile system shoots down ballistic missiles up in Earth’s atmosphere, a much greater distance to achieve for a laser to remain effective at destroying an object.