Israel has stepped up its efforts to complete the development and deployment of a laser based system to intercept rocket and missiles. This to be able to protect the country from a growing array of aerial threats.
Israeli prime minster Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that Israel will deploy the first laser based defence system within a year.Â
Israeli defence officials told GBP that the prime minister's announcement is  " optimistic" and that at least two years will be needed to test a full prototype.
Some Israeli defene industries continue to develop a laser based rocket interception systems using their own R&D budget.
Israel has a four-tiered defence system against rockets and missiles, but what was sufficient until some years ago, now looks inadequate to protect the Israeli population.
The Iron Dome and David's Sling rocket interceptors and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 ballistic missiles interceptors are operational and one of the layers, the Iron Dome , is combat proven with an average of 88 % intercepts.
But this is not enough and will be even less capable in the future . So the IAF , is looking for other layers. This time, it looks like laser will be the tool to shoot down rockets. After it was pushed aside in favor of the Iron Dome rocket interceptor, the Laser beam that can do the same mission, probably better and with lower costs, is on its way back.
In recent months, Israel aerospace industries (IAI) and Rafael have been working hard to accelerate the development of a laser system that can shoot down rockets and mortar shells. Elbit demonstrated a laser system that was tested against aerial targets while carried by an aircraft.
According to IAI , a prototype of a laser cannon for intercepting mortar shells and similar short-range threats is in a very advanced stage of development, and successful experiments have already been carried out.
A few years ago, Rafael presented the first model of a laser gun called an "Iron Beam" designed to respond to shells fired from a range of up to 5 miles from the border. Iron Dome has difficulty coping because of the short time between the moment the launch is detected until it hits.Â
According to IAI , the main advantage of the laser is a fast reaction time. Therefore, such a system is good for dealing with short-range munitions such as mortars.
The U.S army and the IDF understand that the system has additional advantages over missile-based defence systems, since its arsenal of ammunition never ends. The cost of launching a laser beam is very low compared with an Iron Dome interception missile that is estimated to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Iron Dome and the David's Sling systems are now deployed on both borders to protect against rockets, but sources say that in the case of massive rocket attacks, and the need to launch more than one interceptor, the situation will be stretched to a critical point. According to some estimates, the IDF will have to fire a huge number of more than 30,000 interceptors from the Iron Dome system in order to intercept such a large number of rockets. The price of these could run to billions of dollars.
The Philippines has submitted to Israel a new shopping list for defence systems. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is reportedly in…
Israel's laser-based Iron Beam air defence system could reduce the number of interceptors needed for close-range rocket defense by up…
While Israel is in the midst of an effort to rebuild its stockpile of different types of ammunition that have…
In Q4 2024, Vietjet's aviation revenue reached VND 19.776 trillion (approx. SGD 1.061 billion), a 36% year-on-year (YoY) increase, while…
Rheinmetall delivered the first Boxer Skyranger 30 cannon-based air defence vehicle to the Bundeswehr at the end of January, 2025,…
L3Harris Technologies has successfully conducted the first flight of its all-digital electronic warfare (EW) suite, Viper Shield, on a single-seat…
Princess Anne, the United Kingdom’s Princess Royal, has officially opened a new electro-optics facility at Thermoteknix, a company based in…
The French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction Générale de l'Armement / DGA) has entered into a 24-month contract with Airbus Defence…
In December 2024, Integrated Surveillance and Defense (ISD), in partnership with the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Indonesian…
Veridos will once again supply the technology for identifying participants at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), scheduled to take place…
Rheinmetall has secured a major contract to advance the digitalisation of the Bundeswehr’s communication infrastructure. The company, through its subsidiary…
Lufthansa Group has begun the integration of ITA Airways into its network, with several key benefits now available to passengers.…
The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) is set to receive six Rafale fighter jets from France in 2026, Air Chief Marshal…
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has retired its fleet of C-130H Hercules aircraft after 60 years of service.…
Lockheed Martin has delivered the first F-16 Block 70 fighter jet to Bulgaria, marking a significant advancement in the country’s…
BIRD Aerosystems has received a follow-on order for the company's Aeroshield missile protection system, which includes the SPREOS (Self Protection…
The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $383 million contract modification to continue the development of the next generation…
Cohort plc, an independent technology group, has completed the acquisition of EM Solutions, an Australian company specialising in satellite communication…
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has outlined plans to acquire four new frigates to strengthen its fleet, with preparations underway…
Aselsan, Türkiye’s leading defense company, signed export contracts worth over 1 billion USD in 2024, a record high figure in…
L3Harris Technologies' Chief Financial Officer Ken Bedingfield, 52, took over as President, Aerojet Rocketdyne, effective Monday. He succeeds Ross Niebergall,…
ZeroAvia has reached consensus on the Certification Basis relating to its 600kW electric propulsion system (EPS) with the Federal Aviation…
ASQS, a provider of integrated safety and quality management software for the aviation industry, has appointed Florian Lis-Srajer as Deputy…
As Tehran and Moscow continue military cooperation, Iran has acquired advanced Sukhoi-35 fighter jets from Russia to bolster its military…
Israeli company Smartshooter has unveiled its latest counter-UAS (C-UAS) solution: Smash Dome. The lightweight, portable, and adaptable solution supports both…
The Israeli ministry of defence is evacuating a new shopping list submitted by Morocco. Israeli defence sources said that the…
Sentrycs has introduced HORIZON, an AI-driven counter-drone system designed to detect a wide range of DIY drones, including those that…
Terma has signed a contract with Swiss aerospace and telecommunications company SWISSto12 to supply key equipment for the HummingSat project,…
The first of the two Airbus-built new generation SpainSat satellites, SpainSat NG-I, has been successfully launched on a Falcon 9…
Embraer has begun accepting applications for its Social Tech Careers programme, a free technology training initiative designed for women and…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.