Iron Beam

Iron Beam (Hebrew: קֶרֶן בַּרְזֶל, keren barzel), officially מגן אור, magen or, "Light Shield", is a directed-energy weapon air defense system which was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow on February 11, 2014[1] by Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.[2] The system is designed to destroy short-range rockets, artillery, and mortar bombs; it has a range of up to 7 km (4.3 mi), too close for the Iron Dome system to intercept projectiles effectively.[2][3] In addition, the system could also intercept unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).[4] Iron Beam will constitute the sixth element of Israel's integrated air defense system,[2] in addition to Arrow 2, Arrow 3, David's Sling, Barak 8, and Iron Dome.[5]

Iron Beam
TypeLaser air defense system
Place of originIsrael
Service history
Used byIsrael
Production history
DesignerRafael Advanced Defense Systems
Designed2010-2015
ManufacturerRafael Advanced Defense Systems

Characteristics

Iron Beam uses a fiber laser 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 main benefits of using a directed energy weapon over conventional missile interceptors are lower costs per shot, unlimited number of firings, lower operational costs, and less manpower. There is also no interceptor debris to fall on the area protected. The cost of each interception is negligible, unlike expensive missile interceptors—around US$2,000 per shot to cover all costs, against $100,000 to $150,000 per interceptor firing.[6]

In 2016 laser power levels were reported to be "tens of kilowatts".[7] While official information is not available, a 2020 report said that Iron Beam was thought to have a maximum effective range of up to 7 km, and could destroy missiles, UAVs (drones), and mortar shells around four seconds after the twin high-energy fiber-optic lasers make contact with their target.[6] By 2023, energy levels could reach 100 kw or more and the system could focus a beam to the diameter of a coin at a distance of 10 km (6.2 mi).[8]

As of 2016 Iron Beam had been funded mainly by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD), with Rafael pursuing increasing the range of the system and partnering with other companies to further develop the prototype.[7][9] In December 2022, Rafael and Lockheed Martin announced a joint effort to develop a laser defense system based on the Iron Beam project. The aim is to produce a system made up of a pair of solid-state lasers that, when combined, could boost power up to 300 kw, as well as to use more than one beam to simultaneously burn more than one target at once.[10]

Development

The system is based on five years of research and development in solid-state lasers and is developed by Rafael, funded by the MoD, and underwritten by the United States. An Iron Beam battery is composed of an air defense radar, a command and control (C2) unit, and two HEL (High Energy Laser) systems. It was intended to be mobile[11] and to be able to be used stand-alone,[4] but was later rendered non-mobile to address weight and power availability concerns and integrated into Iron Dome to reduce complexity.[12] It is intended for two laser guns to initially produce 100–150 kw of power.[13]

In April 2022, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Rafael announced that in a series of experiments the system successfully shot down drones, rockets, mortar bombs, and anti-tank missiles. The military pushed for an earlier deployment, possibly due to concerns that there would not be sufficient Iron Dome projectiles to combat attacks; Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in February 2022 that Israel would deploy the system within the year.[14] However, in October 2022 Rafael said it expects to take "two to three years" to deploy the 100+kw weapon operationally.[12][15]

See also
  • Light Blade, a simpler Israeli air defense laser system

References
  1. "RAFAEL at Singapore Air Show 2014" (archived version)
  2. Williams, Dan (Jan 19, 2014). "Israel plans laser interceptor 'Iron Beam' for short-range rockets". JERUSALEM: Reuters. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  3. Israeli company to unveil laser defense | UTSanDiego.com
  4. RAFAEL Develops a New High Energy Laser Weapon | Defense Update:
  5. Israel's Rafael to unveil laser-based defense system – Diplomacy and Defense Israel News | Haaretz
  6. Episkopos, Mark (8 September 2020). "The "Iron Beam": Israel's Anti-Missile Laser". The National Interest.
  7. ALLAN KATZ: 'Iron Beam' enhances U.S., allies' security – nwitimes.com, 10 May 2016 closed access
  8. Israeli-Made High-Energy Laser Makes Debut. National Defense Magazine. 21 March 2023.
  9. Rafael introduces Iron Beam laser weapon system – Shephardmedia.com, 11 February 2014 closed access
  10. Lockheed Martin, Israel’s Rafael team up on high-energy laser system. Breaking Defense. 5 December 2022.
  11. Israeli Army (IDF) expects to deploy new Rafael Iron Beam laser air defense system this year – Armyrecognition.com, 12 January 2015
  12. Iron Beam, Israel’s laser air defense system, could be ready in 2-3 years. Breaking Defense. 4 October 2022.
  13. Iron Dome laser-based option, Iron Beam, takes major step forward. Breaking Defense. 22 March 2022.
  14. Fabian, Emanuel (14 April 2022). "In 'game changer', Israeli laser-based air defense shoots down drones". The Times of Israel.
  15. Rafael anticipates Iron Beam laser system could deploy in two years. Defense News. 7 October 2022.
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