For the first time, the Israeli Air Force and the Defense Ministry have successfully intercepted drones launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organization using a laser-based system called "Iron Beam".
Since the war began, the Air Force and defense establishment have introduced new tools and conducted trials of various systems to address the growing threat posed by drones. In late October 2024, the Air Force achieved a significant milestone by intercepting four Hezbollah drones using a scaled-down 30-kilowatt version of the Iron Beam system, which is designed to operate at 100 kilowatts. The laser technology, developed by Israeli defense industries in partnership with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has since been used to down additional drones.
This represents a significant technological breakthrough for Israel's defense strategy, offering not only enhanced interception capabilities but also substantial savings in cost and resources. Officials hope the system will help reshape battlefield dynamics in the event of a future war.
Shlomo Tuaf, a senior vice president at Rafael and head of its Air Defense Systems Division, addressed the system's future potential and regional threats in an interview with journalist Kobi Nachshoni at the Makor Rishon and Lev Academic Center Conference on Security and Technology.
"It's important to keep things in perspective," Tuaf said. "During the Second Lebanon War [2006], 4,000 unguided rockets were fired at Israel, causing 57 fatalities. In the current war, despite a much more intense scale of attacks involving drones and precision missiles, the number of fatalities has remained similar."
Tuaf said the Iron Beam system was in its final development stages and would be delivered to the Defense Ministry by the end of this year, as planned. "This is a groundbreaking system on a global scale, capable of addressing a wide range of threats," he added. "While I won't go into its many operational advantages, it is already known that its interception costs are extremely low. Of course, there are challenges, including weather conditions and extremely dense barrages, which is why the optimal solution lies in combining kinetic interceptors with energy-based ones. This creates a highly effective defense envelope, with marginal interception costs marking a dramatic shift, especially important in a prolonged conflict."
