Source: Iron Beam
In a press release, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems reports the Israel Ministry of Defense signed a landmark deal worth approximately NIS 2 billion (over $500 million) yesterday to expand serial production of Israel’s first domestically developed laser weapon system, the IRON BEAMTM, with lead developers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems. IRON BEAM systems will be integrated into the network of Israeli air defense weapons within a year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said on Monday. They write:
Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir, signed the deal at a ceremony at the Ministry’s headquarters in Tel Aviv attended by Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Daniel Gold, Head of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D); Yoav Tourgeman, CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems; Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis, CEO of Elbit Systems; Dekel Cohen, CPA, Head of the Ministry’s Finance Department; attorney Itay Ophir, Legal Advisor to the Defense Establishment; and other senior officials.
IRON BEAM is a ground-based high-power laser air defense system designed to counter aerial threats, including rockets, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and cruise missiles. The Ministry of Defense’s (IMod) DDR&D’s R&D Unit leads the project with primary developers Rafael and Elbit Systems. The Iron Beam system represents a global technological breakthrough, with its impressive interception capabilities demonstrated through a series of successful trials. The system is expected to integrate into Israel’s multi-layered defense array as a complementary capability to the Iron Dome system. This integration will significantly enhance Israel’s defense capabilities against current and future threats while offering substantially lower operational costs.
Read more here.
Tzally Greenberg of DefenseNews reports that Israel says it will field IRON BEAM air-defense lasers in a year. Greenberg writes:
Iron Beam systems will be integrated into the network of Israeli air defense weapons within a year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
The announcement comes after the government signed an armament agreement with contractors Rafael and Elbit to accelerate the development of the Iron Beam directed-energy weapon, according to the MOD director general, retired Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir. […]
The price of a Tamir missile, which is the interceptor launched by Iron Dome, is about $100,000, while the cost of interception using a laser shield is the price of the electricity used to launch it. Laser interception is meant to revolutionize the economy of air defense, which so far has favored attackers because missiles and drones are cheaper to deploy than to shoot down. […]
On the other hand, the laser system is more limited than Iron Dome in its ability to deal with large rocket barrages, along with limitations on days of impaired visibility due to clouds, rain or sandstorms.
Read more here.
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