Iron Beam

Extracted Attributes

• Developer

  Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

• Hebrew Name

  Or Eitan (Strong Light)

• Power Level

  100 kilowatts

• English Name

  Laser Dome

• Technology Type

  Directed-energy air defense system (Fiber laser)

• Interception Cost

  3 US Dollars per engagement

• Operational Range

  Up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)

Timeline

• Iron Beam is officially unveiled at the Singapore Airshow. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2014-02-11

• Rafael and Lockheed Martin announce a partnership for the joint development and manufacture of the high-energy laser weapon system. (Source: Army Technology)

  2022-12-01

• A naval version of the Iron Beam system is introduced at the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) in Singapore. (Source: Army Technology)

  2023-05-01

• The system is used for the first time in a combat scenario to intercept an incoming rocket fired from Gaza. (Source: Council on Foreign Relations)

  2023-11-01

• The Israeli Defense Ministry announces that the high-power laser system has reached full operational maturity and is ready for military use. (Source: Reuters)

  2025-09-17

• Iron Beam is officially deployed as part of Israel's active air defense network. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-12-01

Iron Beam

Iron Beam, officially Laser Dome in English and Strong Light (Hebrew: אור איתן) in Hebrew, is a directed-energy air defense system developed by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow on 11 February 2014. The system is designed to destroy short-range rockets, artillery, and mortar bombs, and was scheduled to be deployed in October 2025, but was actually deployed December 2025. It has a range of up to 10 km (6.2 mi), complementing the Iron Dome system which was designed to intercept missiles launched from a greater distance. In addition, the system could also intercept unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; drones) at a cost of US$3 per interception. Iron Beam will constitute the fifth element of Israel's integrated missile defense system, in addition to Arrow 2, Arrow 3, David's Sling and Iron Dome.

Web Search Results

• Iron Beam - Wikipedia

  Iron Beam, officially Laser Dome in English and Big/Powerful Light (Hebrew: אור איתן) in Hebrew, is a directed-energy air defense system developed by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow on February 11, 2014. [...] ## Characteristics [edit] Iron Beam uses a fiber laser to generate a laser beam to destroy an airborne target. Whether acting as a stand-alone system or with external cueing as part of an air-defense system, a threat is detected by a surveillance system and tracked by vehicle platforms in order to engage. The problem for laser weapons is that air density disperses laser energy, with larger beams facing more atmospheric interference. Iron Beam's solution is to shoot hundreds of small, coin-sized beams at a target, which individually face less dispersion. When a beam is detected through a telescopic reflection to have hit the target, more beams are redirected to the spot to concentrate energy until it is destroyed. [...] The system is designed to destroy short-range rockets, artillery, and mortar bombs, and was scheduled to be deployed in October 2025, but was actually deployed December 2025. It has a range of up to 10 km (6.2 mi), complementing the Iron Dome system which was designed to intercept missiles launched from a greater distance. In addition, the system could also intercept unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; drones) at a cost of US$3 per interception. Iron Beam will constitute the fifth element of Israel's integrated missile defense system, in addition to Arrow 2 "Arrow (Israeli missile)"), Arrow 3, David's Sling and Iron Dome. ## Name [edit]

• Israeli anti-missile laser system 'Iron Beam' ready for military use this ...

  Advertisement · Scroll to continue The first systems are set to be integrated into the military's air defences by year-end, it said. Shorter-range and less powerful laser systems are already in use. Iron Beam is a ground-based, high-power laser air defence system designed to counter aerial threats, including rockets, mortars and UAVs. "This is the first time in the world that a high-power laser interception system has reached full operational maturity," said defence ministry Director-General Amir Baram. Rafael Chairman Yuval Steinitz said that Iron Beam, which is built with the company's adaptive optics technology, "will undoubtedly be a game-changing system with unprecedented impact on modern warfare". [...] JERUSALEM, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A low-cost, high-power laser-based system aimed at destroying incoming missiles has successfully completed testing and will be ready for operational use by the military later this year, Israel's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Developed by Rafael Advance Defense Systems, "Iron Beam" will complement Israel's Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow anti-missile systems, which have been used to intercept thousands of rockets fired by Hamas militants in Gaza, by Hezbollah from Lebanon and by the Houthis in Yemen. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. Advertisement · Scroll to continue [...] Advertisement · Scroll to continue Elbit Systems (ESLT.TA), opens new tab, which produced the laser, was a partner in the project. Current rocket interceptors cost at least $50,000 each while the cost is negligible for lasers, which focus primarily on smaller missiles and drones. "Now that the Iron Beam’s performance has been proven, we anticipate a significant leap in air defence capabilities through the deployment of these long-range laser weapon systems," the ministry said. After years in development, the ministry said it tested Iron Beam for several weeks in southern Israel and proved its effectiveness in a "complete operational configuration by intercepting rockets, mortars, aircraft, and UAVs across a comprehensive range of operational scenarios".

• Israel's Laser Air Defense Revolution | Council on Foreign Relations

  Iron Beam is a game-changer. It is not a substitute for Iron Dome (used against short-range rockets), and the David’s Sling (cruise missiles and medium- to long-range rockets), Arrow and THAAD (intermediate-range and long-range ballistic missiles) systems, but is an additional air defense system that provides a cost-effective answer to the swarms of cheap drones that have become part of modern warfare. For the United States, there are plenty of uses—from defending U.S. bases around the world to helping allies like Ukraine and Taiwan face today’s and tomorrow’s drone attacks. The United States helped finance Israel’s development of Iron Beam, and—like the Israeli “Trophy” tank defense system being used on Abrams tanks by the U.S. Army—its success is another example of the value of Israel [...] So Israel has been developing a laser defense system, and in November 2023 used it for the first time— to shoot down an incoming rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza. Development of what Israel calls “Iron Beam” has continued and now, after a decade of work by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems company and its Ministry of Defense, the system is being deployed. It has shot down over 40 drones fired from Lebanon at the Galilee. The war that began with the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 sped up the development of Iron Beam. As the head of the laser system division in the IDF, Major G, said: [...] Skip to content Member Login Israel # Israel’s Laser Air Defense Revolution Israel’s “Iron Beam” laser air defense system is being deployed in the field and offers the first cost-effective response to drone warfare. ## By experts and staff Published ### Experts By Elliott Abrams Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies

• Iron Beam Laser Weapon System, Israel - Army Technology

  ##### Operator Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Iron Beam is a 100kW-class high-energy laser weapon system (HELWS) developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a defence technology company based in Israel, for integration into the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) multi-tier air defence framework. The high-power laser system complements Israel’s existing missile defence system in countering the increasingly sophisticated airborne threats to protect both military forces and civilian populations. ### Recommended Buyers Guides Buyers-Guide #### Leading military missiles for the defence industry Buyers-Guide #### Leading anti-missile systems for the defence industry [...] In December 2022, Rafael partnered with Lockheed Martin, an aerospace company based in the US, for the joint development, testing and manufacture of HELWS within the framework of the Iron Beam project in the US and Israel. The collaborative project will build upon assets that have been independently developed by Rafael and the DDR&D. Rafael introduced the naval version of the Iron Beam laser weapon system at the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) 2023 held in Singapore. ## Iron Beam laser weapon system details Iron Beam is a state-of-the-art, mobile, land-based directed energy interception system. It can neutralise a broad spectrum of threats with pinpoint accuracy, covering distances ranging from a few hundred meters to several kilometres. [...] AT ## Sections ## GlobalData ## From Our Partners ## Sections ## Latest ## Sections ## Latest ## Sections ## Latest ## Sections ## Latest ## Sections ## Latest ## Sections ## Latest # Iron Beam Laser Weapon System, Israel Iron Beam is a high-energy laser system being developed by Rafael for the Israeli Defense Forces. ##### Project Type High-energy laser weapon system (HELWS) ##### Developer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems ##### Power Level 100kW ##### Programme Iron Beam project ##### Operator Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)

• Israel's Iron Beam Set For Historic Deployment

  In a briefing with reporters in early December at the headquarters of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, company chairman Yuval Steinitz did little to mask his pride, calling the Iron Beam a scientific and technological breakthrough and emphasizing that Israel had accomplished what so many others could not. The crux of the problem in the past was the atmosphere, he explained. Lasers do fine when they are small and are used for applications such as performing eye surgery, but once they are weaponized, the air density begins to disperse their energy, making them ineffective. The larger the beam, the more atmospheric interference. “We had to find a way to bypass the atmosphere and keep the lasers as strong as when they were” fired, he said. [...] The technological breakthrough was choosing to shoot hundreds of small, coin-sized beams at a target, rather than just one large beam, he said. The small beams do not get dispersed in the atmosphere; however, they are not powerful enough to destroy a target by themselves. Once a potential threat is detected, Iron Beam shoots hundreds of the small beams in its direction. Just one of them may hit the target, he said. When that one beam is detected through a telescopic reflection striking the target, more beams are redirected its way. Every time one hits the target it stays locked, and more energy is concentrated on the target, he explained. [...] Israel has an immediate and pressing need for a directed energy weapon. It has been under attack since Oct. 7, 2023, and since then has used its Iron Dome system to ward off ballistic missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as two major direct attacks from Iran. The Iron Dome detects threats, then fires Tamir missiles to intercept and destroy missiles and drones before they reach their targets. The Iron Beam will be integrated into the already proven system to make it even more effective, Steinitz said.

• Instance Of

  Q124056273