Latest news with #laserdefense
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What does it mean IDF's laser will be fully deployed within four months?
Israel's enemies have known that 85%-95% of their short-range rockets would be shot down by Iron Dome. But they also knew some would get through. In dual revelations on May 28 and June 4, the IDF and Rafael said they have developed three laser platforms to use for air defense, and that one of the platforms shot down about 40 Hezbollah drones last fall. They also confirmed earlier announcements that the laser would be fully and regularly deployed by the end of 2025, which is now only four months away. How will this change Israeli security and life on the home front? There are several aspects that need to be addressed to answer that question. The most important one, cost, has been the most covered so far. Iron Dome interceptors currently cost Israel $40,000 to $100,000. Before the war, Hamas spent an estimated $300 to $800 on its cheaper rockets, with costs less well-known regarding some of its better rockets. Iron Beam, Iron Beam M (mobile), and Lite Beam cost almost nothing, since each time they fire, it is equivalent in many ways to turning on a light with a brief burst of electricity. Less covered has been how Israeli lasers will project greater power to intimidate enemies from even bothering to fire short-range rockets and drones. These lasers can shoot down threatening projectiles much faster and earlier in their trajectory, because a laser moves basically at the speed of light. They can also fire multiple laser beams at once to provide wider defense coverage than one defensive shot by Iron Dome. How motivated will a Hamas or Hezbollah terrorist be to keep firing rockets when he sees the rocket shot down just over his head shortly after it leaves its launcher and long before it gets into any position of being able to be a threat? Israel's enemies have known that 85%-95% of their short-range rockets would be shot down by Iron Dome. But they also knew some would get through, and they got to watch their rockets sail off into the distance, with the moment they were shot down usually being too far off for them to see. This change of hitting the threatening rocket or drone much earlier in their trajectory could also extraordinarily change life on the home front. Until now, as soon as Israel's enemies' rockets lifted off, IDF warning sirens had to go off in a number of areas to give civilians enough time to reach safe rooms and bomb shelters should the rocket succeed at striking a residential area. If the lasers can shoot down the rockets earlier in their trajectory, there may be no need to activate the air-raid sirens. The psychological war, in which Israel's enemies feel they have accomplished something by getting two million Israelis to run into safe areas in the middle of the night, even if they do not kill anyone, could be removed, thereby decreasing the motivation for firing such rockets. Terrorist organizations have been shown to adapt But Hezbollah and Hamas have shown they can learn and adapt. After all, the tunnel, rocket, and drone threats were all adaptations to use asymmetric, cheap weapons against Israel in areas where the Jewish state's defenses were costlier and less hermetic. One alternative would be for these groups to switch to the Iranian and Houthi ballistic-missile threat. Their problem would be that ballistic missiles are a much more complex operation to build, set up to fire, train firing teams, conceal before firing, and pay for. But if they can gain ballistic missiles, the lasers would likely still be useless for now, with a range limited to about 10 kilometers and focused on following much slower targets. The Arrow 2 and 3 missile-defense systems shoot down ballistic missiles much higher in the Earth's atmosphere, a place where lasers are not even close to reaching. Lasers lose their intensity over distance, especially if they have to travel through clouds and other inclement weather. No one knows how long it will take to provide lasers that can shoot down long-range threats such as ballistic missiles, but no one is even really working on that yet. Given how long it took to develop Iron Beam, a 10-year waiting period could be a realistic prediction, and a lot can change in war and security in 10 years. There is another time factor that could delay Iron Beam's effectiveness. Each shot is cheap, but producing enough laser batteries for it to be used on a large-scale basis, like Iron Dome, will be very expensive. Iron Dome was first deployed in 2011, but there was a limited number of batteries. The real number is classified, but over time, public reports have placed the number of Iron Dome batteries as high as 12. How long will it take to produce enough Iron Beam batteries to cover what 12 Iron Dome batteries can cover? While it will probably take less than 10 years, it will also probably take more than a year or two. Make no mistake, the Iron Beam is a game changer, but it still may take some time for that change to be fully felt. Solve the daily Crossword
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Israel claims laser weapon use in real combat. How do China's compare on the world stage?
Israel on Wednesday announced that it used a lower-powered version of its laser defence system Iron Beam for the first time last year, intercepting dozens of aerial targets, including unmanned vehicles, that were launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon. In video footage reportedly taken in October and released by the Israeli defence ministry, what appears to be an Iron Beam laser can be seen targeting flying fixed-wing drones before shooting them from the sky. It was Israel's first known use of directed-energy weapons (DEWs) in real combat and the system is expected to enter service later this year. As cheap unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly challenging existing air defence systems, laser weapons might have an important role to play. They are well suited for anti-drone operations, while their weaknesses are less significant against small, slow and low-flying targets. Many countries have been working on similar air defence laser weapons. German and British projects have been going on for years, while Russia and the US have deployed laser weapons in Ukraine and Iraq, respectively. Turkey-made products are known to have operated in Libya, while India announced in April that its ambitious Surya directed-energy weapon would be ready by 2027.
The Sun
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Watch jaw-dropping moment laser weapon is used for the first time EVER on the battlefield as kamikaze drone is blasted
ISRAEL has become the first country in the world to shoot down drones using a state-of-the-art laser system, it has been revealed. A highly-advanced model was operated to intercept Hezbollah drones along the Lebanese border in a huge breakthrough for the country's air defence. 8 8 8 8 The technological marvel was designed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems as a scaled-down prototype version of the £413million Iron Beam, which is due to be unveiled later this year. Hezbollah drones were successfully blasted out of the sky by the system in question in late October, sources say. Use of the laser system was classified and a ban from reporting has only now been lifted. Its deployment has been confirmed by Israel 's Ministry of Defence, which hailed "an accelerated development programme to deploy revolutionary interception systems". The laser systems will be integrated into Israel's multi-tiered air defence, which includes the world's most famed missile shield, the Iron Dome. It marks the first operational use of Israel's laser defence technology - touted as the most advanced internationally. Jaw-dropping footage shows the system in action, carefully scanning the sky before blitzing an incoming drone that then crashes to the ground. The laser systems offer a more cost-effective solution to combating air threats. Just one interception from the Iron Dome can cost tens of thousands of pounds. Whereas the laser system is said to cost as little as £2 per use with a power output of 100kW. Deployment of Iron Beam's sister system was accelerated in a bid to fend off escalating attacks from Hezbollah - one of Iran's terror proxies. Dr Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Rafael, said: "Israel is the first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system – and to execute actual combat interceptions." The company said it is the "beginning of a new era of warfare" that will "reshape the future of air defence"> Israel's MOD, Air Force and Rafael said the compact system was used to " successfully intercept scores of enemy threats". They added: The deployed laser systems are part of Rafael's portfolio of directed energy weapon systems, and complement the more powerful Iron Beam system, which is expected to be delivered to the IDF later this year. "Throughout the current war, the IAF studied and deployed the laser systems in the field, achieving outstanding interception rates that saved civilian lives and protected national assets." 8 8 How Israel's defence mechanisms work Iron Dome The Iron Dome is Israel's most famed missile shield. It intercepts short-range rockets as well as shells and mortar. Iron Dome batteries are scattered across Israel, with each base having three or four launchers. Each launcher has 20 interceptor missiles. A radar system detects rockets and calculates the trajectory, while a control system estimates the impact point. An operator then decides whether to launch rockets to intercept. David's Sling David's Sling destroys longer-range rockets, cruise missiles and medium or long-range ballistic missiles. It started operation in 2017 and like the Dome, only stops missiles that threaten civilians and infrastructure. Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 Arrow 2 wipes out short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles while they are flying through the upper atmosphere. It is able to detect missiles up to 500km away. Missiles from Arrow 2 can travel at nine times the speed of sounds - firing at up to 14 targets at once. Arrow 3 meanwhile intercepts long-range ballistic missiles as they travel at the top of their arc outside the Earth's atmosphere. Thaad system Thaad is a US-made system, designed to work in a similar way to David's Sling and intercept missiles towards the end of their flight. It can stop missiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere. Thaad batteries usually have six launchers, which each contain eight missiles. Iron Beam was first unveiled in 2014 and has been under development since - but is expected to come into operation before the year is through. It will be able to take down air threats such as rockets, mortar bombs, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles - and will be able to be programmed to follow low-flying targets before disabling them. Dr Daniel Gold, who spearheaded the creation of Iron Dome, vowed to "continue to advance this technology and deliver world-leading systems and capabilities to the IDF". The former Brigadier General, who now heads the Directorate of Defence Research & Development, said: 'The State of Israel is the first in the world to demonstrate large-scale operational laser interception capabilities. "Our vision for deploying laser weapons was realized during the war with tremendous technological and operational success.' According to Rafael, Iron Beam can shoot down flying objects like mortars, rockets, artillery, and UAVs with "pinpoint accuracy". 8 It has a range of several kilometres and costs almost nothing to run with it being a laser. As well as low cost, other benefits include unlimited number of firings, lower operational costs, and less manpower. But, unlike the Iron Dome, it's not an all-weather air defence system. The Iron Dome can be operated in all weather conditions - including fog, dust storm, low clouds and rain. But the Iron Beam system doesn't work effectively in wet conditions as the water particles absorb the laser's energy. It also needs a direct line of sight between the system and its target - making its placement far more important - and it has a much slower rate of fire. Although the laser beam makes its way to the target at the speed of light, it takes several seconds to destroy short-range missiles. The Iron Dome, however, destroys the target within a millisecond. The Sun's visit to an Iron Dome battery By Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) THE Sun last month got a rare look at an Iron Dome battery system in southern Israel. Tucked along a track away from prying eyes close to a city of around 33,000, a group of highly trained IDF soldiers work tirelessly to repel missiles fired by Hamas from Gaza. Fenced off from the public, the batteries sit on a concrete base ready to be put into action at the drop of a hat. Firing units are primed and ready to go, with the launchers always pointing towards the sky as incoming threats can come at any moment. An IDF commander walked us through exactly how the remarkable system works and proudly told how they had successfully wiped out around 96 per cent of missiles fired their way. Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, this exceptional kit is essential to Israel's defence. During my time in Israel last week, I saw first hand the devastation Hamas caused on October 7. Kibbutz Nir Oz was decimated by callous terrorists and around a quarter of its residents were either brutally killed or taken hostage. Hamas also unleashed a barrage of more than 5,000 missiles against Israeli targets that day in a bid to overwhelm its robust defence system. Since then, the terror group has continued to repeatedly blitz Israel - but thanks to systems like the Iron Dome it has managed to limit casualty numbers.
