Israel has unveiled a 100-kilowatt laser defence system, Iron Beam, or officially known as “Eitan’s Light”, on Wednesday, which is likely to be operational by the end of 2025.
Israel’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday said that it had completed the development of the low-cost, high-power missile defence system that will likely complement the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow, to give an added layer to its missile defence.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, in a statement, said, “rapid, precise interception at marginal cost that joins our existing defence systems and changes the threat equation”. However, the rate of interception had not been disclosed yet. Earlier during the recent fighting in Lebanon, almost 30 to 40 drones launched by Hezbollah were intercepted by Iron Beam.
Co-developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and Elbit Systems, it is a high-powered, 100-kilowatt laser-based weapon system that has already completed successful trials against projectiles, including missiles, drones, mortars, and aircraft.
According to Israel’s Defence Ministry, laser interception is much cheaper at $5 each, a negligible amount compared to the missile, which costs around $50,000 each.
Lasers, weapons like Iron Beam, use concentrated beams of photons to deliver the destructive effect at the speed of light. It has a continuous source of energy. However, the effective range of the system is typically low, up to 10 km. They are useful against small UAVs, rockets and mortars but have less potency against high-speed ballistic threats. The weapon system has other key limitations, like the laser needs several seconds of lock-in time to destroy the threat, which will be inefficient against a high-speed barrage of missiles. It is also dependent on weather patterns, like clouds and fog can disperse the laser’s energy.
Israel’s Defence Ministry Director-General Amir Baram claims, “This is the first time in the world that a high-power laser interception system has reached full operational maturity.”
The weapon will be integrated into the triad of Israel’s Missile Defence system by the end of 2025. If they prove effective in real combat scenarios, then there might be a push for widespread adoption. Rafael Advanced Defence Systems said that there are also plans to develop other models like Iron Beam 450, mobile truck-mounted units, a lightweight version for armoured vehicles – LITE BEAM, and an airborne version.
