Isreal Plans To Use Lasers To Shoot Down Missles

Israel expects its “Iron Beam” laser defense system to be operational within one year, saying it will bring “a new era of warfare” as it engages in a war of drones and missiles with Iran and its regional partners.

The Jewish state spent more than $500 million on deals this week with Israeli developers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, architect of Israel’s Iron Dome, and Elbit Systems to expand production of the shield.

“It heralds the beginning of a new era in warfare,” Eyal Zamir, director general of the defense ministry, said in a statement this week. “The initial capability of the ground-based laser system… is expected to enter operational service within one year,” he said.

The defense ministry’s comments come as Israel presses on with wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and after its military engaged twice in direct missile attacks with Iran.

Since Israel began its war on Hamas in Gaza last year, following the October 7 attack, it has also been fighting a war with the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” across Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

Iran and its partners have been seeking to overwhelm Israel’s Iron Dome by pelting it with various projectiles, from rockets and drones to mortars and ballistic missiles, experts previously said.

Experts say the Iron Beam could be an added layer of defense for Israel, both in terms of effectiveness and cost.

How Does It Work?

The system uses a high-power laser that is stationed on the ground. With a range of hundreds of meters to several kilometers, the laser heats up the target’s shell in vulnerable areas, including its engine or warhead, until the projectile collapses.

This is different to Israel’s traditional means of destroying missiles and rockets, where radar is used to identify an incoming threat and then an interceptor missile is fired to destroy the projectile midair.

Compared to the Iron Dome, a laser shield would be cheaper, faster and more effective, experts said.

Each Iron Dome interception missile is estimated to cost approximately $50,000, if not more, according to experts. Israel fires two missiles per interception, Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, told CNN.

Israel has been intercepting projectiles almost daily since the war with its northern neighbor began. Just on Tuesday, some 50 projectiles crossed from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, adding that some were intercepted and others weren’t.

Who Else Has It?

It is unclear if Iran has developed a laser defense system of its own. In 2022, Iran said it was “capable of manufacturing laser weapons to defend… sensitive regions,” state media said.

Iran is, however, suspected to have the Chinese-made “Silent Hunter” laser weapon, experts said, adding that the laser is not as high-powered as the ones designed for the Iron Beam.

Will it really be a gamechanger?
An Israeli Iron Beam would still have its drawbacks.

The laser system would not operate well in cloudy, rainy or hazy weather, experts said, adding that this decreases the laser’s ability to pass through the atmosphere and reach its target. The system would also require great amounts of power to keep it running.

CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma