Defense Minister Benny Gantz gave the green light on Thursday for the acquisition and full development of a new laser-based interceptor to engage rockets and mortar shells, providing a complementary layer of defense to the Iron Dome antirocket system.
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The Defense Ministry said that the first procurement phase of the system – called Iron Beam – will cost hundreds of millions of shekels by the Israeli government but later on the hope is that the collaboration with other countries will also mean shared costs.
Additionally, the ministry released images of the new system's components. The acquisition order will be signed next week and be submitted to the Israeli companies Rafael Advanced Defense System and Elbit Sytems, which are expected to be the main developers of the system,
Prime Minister Naftaly Bennett has recently stated that the system will likely be deployed in Gaza area within a year, but the Defense Ministry did not mention the timeline for its operational phasing into service.
The Iron Dome system has been protecting the Israeli communities in the south and beyond but this new system could eventually replace or work alongside it at a much lower cost. This could mean that Iron Dome would be used in cases where the Iron Beam is not capable of intercepting projectiles due to the specific conditions at hand. While it is currently in development as a ground-based system it could be eventually developed as an airborne system.
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