The Israeli Defense Forces recognize that the current three-layer air defense may prove insufficient in the future, especially in the event of a combined attack by Hizbullah and Hamas fighters. That is why the local defense industry is constantly working on solutions that will support anti-aircraft defense. One of them is the Iron Beam high-power laser weapon system (Keren Bar’zel / Iron Beam), which is scheduled to enter service in a maximum of three years. It is developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and financed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Successful tests are set to shut the mouths of critics who regard guided energy systems – more commonly known as lasers – as the tune of the distant future. Michael Lurie, the new CEO of Rafael’s US division, told Breaking Defense in a recent interview that the fire tests that were carried out six months ago convinced Cahal to continue funding the project after decades of experimenting with lasers.
Israel has successfully tested the new “Iron Beam” laser interception system.
This is the world’s first energy-based weapons system that uses a laser to shoot down incoming UAVs, rockets & mortars at a cost of $ 3.50 per shot.
It may sound like science fiction, but it’s real. pic.twitter.com/nRXFoYTjIU
– Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) April 14, 2022
“We don’t have a technical or scientific problem anymore,” Lurie assured him. This is an engineering problem now, because the question is not whether we will do it, but when and how long it will take. The Israel Defense Forces would like it to work today, tomorrow, but realistically, it will take two to three years to be operational.
The Iron Ray, with a capacity of more than 100 kilowatts, is to be an additional capacity that will in the future complement the Iron Dome, also built by Raphael to defend Israel against missiles, mortar grenades, unmanned aerial vehicles and swarms of mini-drones. Lurie insisted that the Iron Ray would never fully replace the Iron Dome. Instead, Israel plans to integrate both systems. The existing infrastructure will remain in place and will be available for laser effectors. In fact, the Keren Bar’zel will simply become another available option that can be used against incoming air strike agents.
The tests carried out on April 14, 2022 by Rafael and the state Research and Development Office (MAFAT) at the Ministry of Defense were of great importance for the development of the system. During various scenarios, the demonstrator successfully intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles as well as mortar, unguided and anti-tank missiles. The trials were identified as a milestone in the program to develop a high-power laser system – both ground and aerial – for countering long-range, high-intensity threats.
The interaction of kinetic and laser effectors will be inevitable if we look at the shortcomings of each of them. While a kinetic projectile can destroy a target immediately after being hit, lasers require keeping the beam on the target. This can be complicated, and if the weather is bad, the laser system may be ineffective against incoming targets. The laser beam, on the other hand, travels at the speed of light and takes much less time to reach its destination, and is less expensive to use compared to producing and purchasing Tamirs.
The system has a range of up to 7 kilometers and destroys the target within four seconds of contact. It is intended to be compatible with many radars in the Israeli service and can be mounted on vehicles. In principle, it would be more appropriate to define the range as “a few kilometers” as this can vary depending on the strength of the beam, the target and the weather conditions. The effects of electrocution will vary: in some cases the target will explode, while in others it will simply immobilize and fall. Rafael is already making ideas on how to develop the system and create mobile or ship-based versions, as well as strengthen the laser beam or ensure shorter neutralization times.
Raphael representatives point out that behind the success of the Iron Ray, in particular, the decision to integrate it with the Iron Dome has eliminated many of the complications that would arise in a standalone system. Keren Bar’zel is currently immobile, so engineers don’t have to worry about weight and power availability.
Pairing the laser with the Iron Dome and using the American technology used to build it will certainly place Israel’s export restrictions on it. According to Breaking Defense, Rafael is talking to a specific company to sell lasers to the Pentagon. Negotiations are advanced and it is almost certain that Lockheed Martin is the mystery company. In 2021, Rafael announced plans to cooperate with this company.
Jerusalem has high hopes for the laser weapons development program. In August 2022, the Ha-Arec newspaper reported that Israel was planning to spend 500 million shekels (about $ 700 million) on developing the Iron Beam, after Washington had apparently initially refused to contribute to the funding. According to unofficial information, during Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East, politicians wanted to raise about $ 300 million to co-finance this initiative.
Iron Dome missile launcher.
(NatanFlayer, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)
In line with the Israeli plans, a hybrid system of laser weapons will be created: land based (but also as part of the C-Dome on ships) and mounted on airplanes (Elbit Systems is to be responsible for this part). Already in June 2021, it was possible to shoot down an unmanned aerial vehicle using a laser installed on a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. The tests were carried out by the 151st Missile Experimental Unit of the Israeli air force from the Palmachim base.
Israel expects Washington to later contribute to the funding of the program, even though Americans are experimenting with lasers themselves, including those mounted on vehicles and ships. The Arleigh Burke-type USS Dewey has already successfully installed the ODIN (Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy) laser system in 2020. On land, the Americans are aiming to deploy the first platoon of four laser-equipped Strykers as part of the DE M-SHORAD (Directed Energy Maneuver-) capability development. Short Range Air Defense).
Stryker with DE M-SHORAD during testing at Fort Sill.
(US Army / Jim Kendall)
Debut on AUSA
As we noted in the introduction, strengthening Israel’s multi-layer missile defense – consisting of the two Arrow family systems (numbered 2 and 3), the Iron Dome and David’s Sling – is an important element in building a sealed sky in the face of a possible simultaneous conflict with Israel. During the Association of the United States Army 2022 exhibition in Washington, which began today, Rafael publicly showed this laser anti-aircraft defense system for the first time. The Israeli company may be pleased as it is the first laser system to documented interception of a wide variety of airborne threats.
At the Washington exhibition, Rafael also boasts Stunner as a medium-range air defense solution. This type of missile is an effector of David’s Sling, combating long-range missile artillery, short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. According to company representatives, the Stunner can be plug and play into various air and missile defense systems.
Test firing of the Chec 3 missiles.
(Ronite, CC-BY-SA-4.0)
The third level of protection is the Chec 3, designed to intercept medium / long-range ballistic missiles in the final phase of flight at a range of up to 2,400 kilometers. Two-stage interceptor missile with EKV (Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle) kinetic warhead strikes the target outside the atmosphere (more than 100 kilometers), which provides an additional degree of security for nuclear, biological or chemical warheads.
According to Israeli data, 3,100 rocket attacks were carried out on the territory of Israel between May 10 and 17, 2021. In turn, during the three-day struggle in early August 2022, Islamic Jihad launched over 1,000 rockets from Gaza. It is estimated that a duel with Hamas may result in up to 1,500 firings a day, and some sources say as much as 2,000. Although the effectiveness of the Iron Dome is estimated by various sources at 85–90%, this number of missiles fired will be extremely difficult to intercept. And even if it succeeds, the cost of conducting such a conflict will be high.
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