Iron Beam laser system to undergo final trial

The Israeli Ministry of Defense arranges an important and important trial of the Iron Beam missile system, and has been informed of the higher sources of the Ministry of Defense and Defense. If the trial succeeds, the Ministry of Defense and the main developer Advanced defense systems Rafael It will move forward towards the goal of launching operations in the last quarter of the year. However, if there are unexpected problems, the planned schedule will be met.

The experiment will be performed with the initial model of the system that has already proven itself on several levels. In an experiment in 2022 with the initial model, he noticed how drones were intercepted. During the war, Israel was not ready to threaten drones, especially along the Lebanese mountainous border, and the iron beam was working, and it was very useful. Throughout the war, trials were made with the laser system.

What is the iron defense system?

The iron beam is designed to be a supplementary system for the iron dome. Both of the same control vehicle will be turned on. Iron Dome is an interceptor system for missile threats in the range of 40 km, while the iron package faces threats of up to 10 kilometers, using a strong laser beam of about 100 kW. There is no similar laser system in the world that produces such a force, and for the package of 100 kilowatts, the production of about 128 kilowatts is already required.

However, in creating an unprecedented material technology, there are challenges. During the development of the iron beam, there were unexpected responses by different components of the loads. The main challenge with any laser is attenuation, that is, the degree with which the package weakens with its transition away from the operator. The laser contains many defects, including cloudy weather, fog or fog that reduces its activity and affects its effectiveness, also works in a column and moves from the target to the goal.

The President of Rafael, Dr. Joval Steinitz, told the national defense site that Iron Beam launches hundreds of small packages every size of a coin towards the target. He explains that when one blow is discovered by one beam using a telescopic reflection, additional beams are directed to the target and the energy concentration leads to a rapid objective of the target.

Cheapestly from other air defense systems

The Ministry of Defense Directorate (MAFAT) is the Iron Beam project with Rafael, The Head Developer and Elbit Systems. The American defense giant Lockheed Martin joined an initiative in late 2022 through an agreement to invest in the project. Since then, the company has invested tens of millions of dollars in financing unrelated to the American aid package, which includes $ 500 million annually for joint projects in air defense. Ultimately, Lockheed Martin will sell the system in the American market.

The Ministry of Defense itself financed a deal worth about 2 billion NIS last October to expand Iron Beam’s production, with the first delivery of many regulations on the agenda. Although the Ministry of Defense is very strict regarding the schedules, which include the first operations in the last quarter of the year, there are widespread estimates that some of these systems will not be delivered until 2026. This provides, there is nothing unexpected during the final experience.

There are two reasons behind the pressure of the Ministry of Defense to meet the tables. First, Israel does not have a tight defense and will never have it, but the iron package mix with the iron dome will expand it, whether within the scope of objection capabilities or in Iron Beam’s dealings with a variety of threats, including missiles, mortars, drones and marine flight missiles. Moreover, the laser -based air defense is largely cheaper than defense using missiles or missiles. While objection with an iron dome costs about $ 30,000, the objection with Iron Dome will cost only $ 5 -10 dollars.

The strong system will be searched after export, with $ 1.2 billion in the iron package already an investment in the Biden administration. The same funding will be used to develop the second iron package system set. In the second group, which will include many other systems, the United States is expected to merge local production by 50 %, in a way that will benefit it economically, according to Trump’s policy, and in terms of knowledge in favor of the American defense.

The Ministry of Defense refused to comment. Raphael said: “Raphael will hand over the iron package system to the Ministry of Defense as planned in the last quarter of 2025 and the offer will continue according to the agreement. As a rule, the regulations are under development continuously undergoing test procedures and examination of various and varied scenarios.”

It was published by Globes, Israel Business News – En.globes.co.il – on May 22, 2025.

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