Israel's air defense system has intercepted thousands of missiles. Soon another component will be added to it: the "Iron Beam" laser weapon. What is known about it and how does it differ from the "Iron Dome"?
All corners of Israel are threatened by missile attacks. In recent years, Iran and its supported militias and terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, Yemen and Lebanon have launched thousands of missiles and drones against the Jewish state. The majority of them have been intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
It currently includes a three-tier defense system. The "David's Sling" is responsible for medium-range missiles, drones and cruise missiles. The "Strela" system stops long-range missiles. And "Iron Dome" intercepts short-range missiles and artillery shells.
On social networks, Israel's air defense is praised as Israel's "life insurance". It has been used in this form since March 2011. And since 2014, Israel has been developing another component that will soon become an integral part of the Israeli air defense system: the "Iron Beam" laser weapon.
How does "Iron Dome" work?
"Iron Dome" consists of three components: a radar, a control center and a missile launcher. The radar device detects threatening projectiles such as short-range missiles (up to 70 km) and mortar shells, calculates their trajectory and transmits this information to the control center. All this happens in a matter of seconds, but there is no more time to react, since the time from the launch of the missile to the target it is supposed to hit is usually between 15 and 90 seconds.
The third element is the missile launchers. Each system has three or four of them, and each launcher has 20 missiles. However, an interceptor missile is launched only if it is clear that the projectile is aimed at a populated area. It can maneuver in the air and does not hit the attacking projectile directly, but explodes near it, destroying it. To prevent damage from falling debris, "Iron Dome" intercepts flying objects over uninhabited areas whenever possible. However, falling debris can cause damage.
How effective is Israel's air defense?
Ten Iron Dome units are currently in use in Israel. They are mobile and can be moved. According to the manufacturer, the Israeli state defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, one battery can protect a medium-sized city. According to experts, 13 units of the system are needed to protect the entire country.
According to Rafael Defense Systems, the system has a 90% success rate. On its company website, the manufacturer speaks of "more than 5,000 intercepted projectiles". According to the Israeli army, during the terrorist attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas on October 7, 2023, more than 3,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory alone.
In April 2024, other systems also proved their effectiveness. When Iran fired about 300 missiles, combat drones and cruise missiles at Israel on the night of April 14 last year - in response to an alleged Israeli air strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus - the Israeli air defense system stopped 99% of these targets, according to Israeli data. But in this case, Western allies and some Arab countries also helped.
New laser weapon: "Iron Beam"
The effectiveness of the missile shield is great. But so are the costs. According to the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, the cost of one interceptor missile for "Iron Dome" is between 40,000 and 50,000 US dollars. In view of the high costs, the Israeli army wants to supplement its air defense with a new laser defense weapon called "Iron Beam".
The high-energy laser is designed to destroy small missiles, drones and mortar shells. It should also be able to neutralize swarms of unmanned aircraft. The energy weapon was officially presented in 2014, and its manufacturer is again Rafael Systems, but in 2022 the American company "Lockheed Martin" was also included in the project.
According to the information center of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, the "Iron Beam" laser system uses two powerful lasers to intercept incoming shells at a distance of up to 7 kilometers. The system is mounted on a truck, but can also be mounted on an armored vehicle.
When the "Iron Beam" radar intercepts an incoming missile, the thermal camera takes over tracking it until the two powerful laser beams neutralize it. Unlike missile systems, even if it misses its target, "Iron Beam" does not cause indirect damage. It detects and destroys the target within 4-5 seconds.
"Iron Beam" was originally scheduled to be operational from October 2025, but the Israeli military reported that it had used a similar laser defense system last year during Hezbollah air attacks from Lebanon. During the current year, "Iron Beam" should become a permanent component of the Israeli air shield.
The advantages compared to "Iron Dome" are the much lower cost and the theoretically unlimited supply of ammunition. However, cost figures vary considerably: a single laser shot costs between a few dollars and $2,000, taking into account all the associated activities surrounding the launch.