The "Iron Beam" laser system, one of the most significant technological developments in Israeli air defense, has completed the development and testing phase and will be delivered to the IDF at the end of the month. This announcement came from the Head of the Directorate for Defense, Research, and Development (DDR&D) in the Defense Ministry, Brigadier General (Res.) Dr. Daniel Gold, who spoke on Monday at the annual DefenseTech Week conference in Tel Aviv.
Video: The Iron Beam / Credit: Rafael
"The development of the 'Iron Beam' laser system has been completed," Gold declared at the conference, which was held in cooperation with the Yuval Ne'eman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security and the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center at Tel Aviv University. "We are preparing to deliver the first capability to the IDF on December 30, 2025, and simultaneously, we are already working on the next generations."
Will change the rules of the battlefield
According to the Head of the DDR&D, the "Iron Beam" laser system is expected to "change the rules of the game of the battlefield" after successfully proving its capabilities in a comprehensive series of trials. Developed by the DDR&D over several years, the system is considered a major breakthrough in the air defense capabilities of the State of Israel. It will allow the interception of threats using a laser beam at a cost significantly lower than traditional kinetic interceptors.
Gold added that as the first capability is delivered, development continues: "We are already working on the next generations" of laser systems, as part of the Defense Ministry's long-term planning.
Lessons from thew war
The head of the DDR&D also addressed the technological achievements during the recent combat experience. "The achievements during the operations are unprecedented," Gold said. "The operation provided a glimpse into the 'surprise repository' – powerful, groundbreaking Israeli technologies that are the fruit of development by DDR&D personnel throughout the generations."
Gold emphasized that the Defense Ministry is currently operating according to a clear strategy: "We are deep into the work on the next generations of surprises for the next war – in space, in attack, and in defense – and we will deploy them at the right time. The DDR&D is a production line that is creating the next surprises, the next game-changers."
In his speech, the Head of the DDR&D also addressed the revolution taking place in Israel's defense sector. "In the defense tech field, the game has changed – startups are now competing 'head-to-head' with the large companies and winning," Gold said, and offered a concrete example: "Just recently, a number of startups that connected competed against all the large industries in a tender by the DDR&D, and were chosen to supply the IDF with an array of attacking drones."
