ISRAEL has announced the launch date of a £413m laser interceptor known as Iron Beam that downs rockets and drones with light.
The system is set to be operational in a year’s time and will protect the country from different types of weapons sent through the air.
Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen’s Houthis have all fired rockets and drones at Israel in recent months – with Iran directly striking Israel in a massive barrage following the invasion of Lebanon.
The IDF already uses four other missile defence systems, including the Iron Dome, to bring down rockets that fly into Israel’s airspace.
The Iron Beam was tested earlier this year and a new £413m agreement between Israel and the system’s manufacturers has confirmed the date of operation.
It is expected to begin protecting Israel on October 28 next year, Israeli news site Maariv reports.
The manufacturers – Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and Elbit – describe the Iron Beam as a “100kW class High Energy Laser Weapon System”.
They claim it can shoot down flying objects like mortars, rockets, artillery, and UAVs with “pinpoint accuracy”.
The Iron Beam has a range of several kilometres and costs almost nothing per use with it being a laser.
In a statement, Elbit Systems, announced on Monday they had signed an approximately £154m million contract with Israel.
Pressure has been mounting on Israel to improve its air defences after terror rockets have struck the country during its war.
Iranian missiles hit sensitive sites in Israel including airbases at the beginning of the month.
Four Israeli soldiers were also killed after a Hezbollah drone strike on an army base a fortnight ago, with 61 more injured.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett dubbed the laser guns a “strategic game changer for Israel and the world”.
It was previously scheduled to be deployed in 2025 but the outbreak of war means Israel is reportedly carrying out tests to get it into operation much sooner.
Dr Danny Gold, the scientist behind the air, said the new laser had been “played with” throughout the Gaza war.
He told The Telegraph: “We got authorisation one year ago to go to full-scale development and bring the system to the field. We will finish the job in numerous years… I can’t tell you exactly when.
“And once in a while we play with the current toolkit that we have. If we have the opportunity of people shooting at us, we can expand the testing.”
Instead of costing $60,000 for each firing of the Iron Dome, he said a laser beam can cost “just a few dollars”.
And there’s no need for ammunition, making it easier to move and to conceal.
Other benefits include unlimited number of firings, lower operational costs, and less manpower.
But, unlike the Iron Dome, it’s not an all-weather air defence system.
The Iron Dome can be operated in all weather conditions – including fog, dust storm, low clouds and rain.
But the Iron Beam system doesn’t work effectively in wet conditions as the water particles absorb the laser’s energy.
It also needs a direct line of sight between the system and its target – making its placement far more important – and it has a much slower rate of fire.
Although the laser beam makes its way to the target at the speed of light, it takes several seconds to destroy short-range missiles.
The Iron Dome, however, destroys the target within a millisecond.
