In a historic breakthrough, Israel unveiled a new class of weapon systems to bolster the country’s air defenses. Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed that it successfully intercepted dozens of Hezbollah drones fired from Lebanon using a laser-based defense system.
“Israel said it used a laser air-defense system to shoot down drones in wartime, deploying weapons that would mark a technological leap on the battlefield,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Israel’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it has intercepted drones with laser-powered weapons more than 40 times since its multifront war began after Hamas attacked from Gaza in October 2023.”
Israel’s Defense Ministry released footage of the system in action against drones fired by Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
The air defense system deployed by the IDF on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is “capable of intercepting short-range threats—including rockets, mortars, and drones—within a 10-kilometer radius,” the Israeli news website Ynetnews reported Friday.
The Times of Israel reported the details of the newly-tested system:
During the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon last year, the Israeli Air Force intercepted dozens of drones launched by the terror group using a new laser interception system, the military and Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday.The new system used during the fighting is a lower-powered version of the Iron Beam laser interceptor, which is set to be delivered to the Israel Defense Forces later this year. Both systems are developed by Israeli defense firm Rafael. (…)Hezbollah fired more than 300 explosive-laden drones at Israel amid the fighting, with many evading air defenses and causing damage and casualties.“Throughout the current war, the IAF, including its Aerial Defense Array soldiers, studied and deployed the laser systems in the field, achieving outstanding interception rates that saved civilian lives and protected national assets,” the IDF and Defense Ministry said.
While the IDF did not name the laser weapon, it is considered to be a variant of the ‘Iron Beam’ system being developed by the Israeli defense technology company Rafael.
Iron Beam, which belongs to the class of High Energy Laser Weapon System, or HELWS, can reportedly be used to intercept projectiles ranging from drones and cruise missiles to mortars and artillery.
Rafael, on its website, discloses that Iron Beam “engages and neutralizes a wide array of threats from a range of hundreds of meters to several kilometers.” The laser-based system “has an unlimited magazine, with almost zero cost per interception, and causes minimal collateral damage,” the company adds.
The ‘Iran Beam ‘- type system tested by the IDF is not a lone-standing weapon; Israeli defense companies are developing a series of laser-based defensive weaponry capable of intercepting even long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
“Israel’s defense industries are already working to extend the range and power of laser-based systems,” Ynetnews added. “Elbit Systems is developing capabilities to launch them from aircraft or drones that will fly above the cloud layer, thus enabling cheap and quick neutralization of ballistic missiles and even hypersonic missiles that are capable of flying at a speed of at least five times the speed of sound.”
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