Iron beam set to redefine air defense with laser precision
Iron Beam, a laser air defense system, may enter service in a year to protect the airspace over Israel. The country's Ministry of Defense has just signed contracts totalling $500 million for the delivery and production of the system with Elbit Systems and Rafael. Iron Beam, utilizing a 100 kW laser beam, will enable the destruction of a wide range of targets. Interestingly, a single shot of this laser is expected to cost only CAD 4.75.
Under a CAD 270 million contract, Elbit Systems is committed to delivering laser equipment for the Iron Beam system and providing maintenance. Meanwhile, Israeli company Rafael, which signed a CAD 405 million contract with Israel's Ministry of Defense, will be the final executor of this weapon. The signing of these contracts is expected to significantly increase the production speed of the first series of laser systems.
Iron Beam - a laser weapon the world will envy Israel for
As reported by The Times of Israel, according to Eyal Zamir, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, the first ground-based laser systems are expected to operational in a year. As he noted: "This is an announcement of the beginning of a new era in warfare – the era of the laser." The solution is intended to complement the capabilities of the renowned Iron Dome, Israel's short-range defense system. Together with its maritime counterpart, C-Dome, they form the lowest layer of Israel's missile defense shield.
The system first came to public attention during the Singapore Airshow in February 2014. Over the following years, Israelis worked intensively on its development. In March 2022, Iron Beam underwent tests conducted by the Israel Defense Forces, confirming its effectiveness in combating drones, mortars, and projectiles. The following year, as the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict increased and Hamas attacks intensified, Israel further focused on accelerating the deployment of this weapon.
Effective anti-drone system
The task of Iron Beam will include intercepting artillery shells, mortar rounds, and drones within a range of several hundred metres to up to 6.5 kilometres. This will be made possible by a 100 kW laser beam directed at the target. According to producers, it takes approximately four seconds to eliminate a hostile object appearing in Israeli airspace. Importantly, Iron Beam can be programmed to track low-flying targets, which are an increasingly significant challenge on the modern battlefield, as evidenced by the growing role of drones during the war in Ukraine.
Importantly, using the laser air defense system is expected to be significantly cheaper than traditional solutions. In 2022, then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett mentioned in a post on Twitter (now X) that a single laser shot would cost about CAD 4.75. Defense News points out that the cost is minimal as it primarily represents the electricity used to fire the laser. For comparison, the cost of a Tamir interceptor missile, used by the Iron Dome air defense system, is approximately CAD 54,000–67,500.
