Israel has begun using laser beams, otherwise known as “directed energy” weapons, to shoot down rockets fired from Gaza.
The news comes after reports that Lockheed Martin and Israel’s Rafael have been developing Iron Beam, a laser defense system that can be mounted on ships and planes.
This week, Israel began using the directed energy weapons, Iron Sting, which is part of the larger Iron Beam laser defense system.
Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system is well known, with a 90% rate effectiveness rate.
However, each Iron Dome battery can cost $100 million, and each interceptor costs between $40,000 and $50,000.
The New York Post noted Hamas fires thousands of rockets and missiles at Israel — it’s fired an estimated 10,000 since Oct. 7 — the costs of defense mount and the supply of interceptors can run out.
Iron Dome batteries typically have about 60 to 80 interceptor missiles at hand.
The defense agency said a laser system overcomes these problems because you only need electricity and can fire repeatedly at incoming threats.
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But the US Missile Defense Agency executive director said the laser technology was not quite there.
The agency “in the past few years kind of backed away,” she told Breaking Defense.
“That technology still needed to mature. It needed to mature in power levels that could be delivered on target” and in “reduction of the size, weight, and power requirements.”
She said, “that technology maturation is happening” — and “there have been some really impressive results.”
“We’ve been doing studies all along and looking at lethality effects and doing experimentation. But we think that, finally, we’re starting to see some real progress, and so that’s why the increased emphasis.”
“There’s so many advantages of having a potential directed-energy engagement system — give the warfighter additional engagement opportunities, save interceptors, lower cost per engagement. So lots of great potential for directed energy.”
National security Dr. Simon Tsipis said the first use of the Iron Beam was against the rockets fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
“This is a run-of-the-mill laser based on the fundamental concept of high energy concentration. However, its capability is limited to destroying targets within a relatively short range, typically a few dozen kilometers and no further,” Tsipis said.
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News Nation Now reported:
The new “Iron Beam” wasn’t supposed to be in service for at least a couple more years. But in the wake of the ongoing conflict, sources say it could be thrust right into the middle of the war.
“The Iron Beam can work in conjunction with the Iron Dome,” Kenneth Gray, a senior lecturer at the University of New Haven, said.
According to Open Source Intelligence Monitor on X, IDF is preparing to deploy the Iron Beam laser point-defense system.
The system uses a fiber laser to destroy airborne targets.
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