Israel is constantly strengthening its air defense and is preparing to become operational within a year its ‘Iron Beam’ laser defense system saying it will bring “a new age of war”.

The Jewish state spent over $500 million in deals this week with Israeli defense firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, architect of the Iron Dome, and military firm Elbit Systems.

With Iron Beam, it aims to use high-powered lasers to counter a range of missiles, including missiles, drones, rockets and mortars, Israel’s Defense Ministry said this week.

“It heralds the beginning of a new era in warfare,” Eyal Zamir, director general of the defense ministry, said in a statement this week. “The initial capability of the ground-based laser system … is expected to be operational within a year,” he said.

Israel first unveiled a prototype of the Iron Beam in 2021 and has been working to put it into operation ever since.

Experts say the Iron Beam could be an added layer of defense for Israel, both in terms of effectiveness and cost.

How does it work?

The system uses a high-powered laser that is mounted on the ground. With a range of hundreds of meters to several kilometers, the laser heats the target’s shell in vulnerable areas, including its engine or warhead, until the missile collapses.

This is different from Israel’s traditional means of destroying missiles and rockets, where radar is used to detect an incoming threat and then an interceptor missile is fired to destroy the missile in mid-air.

Compared to Iron Dome, a laser shield would be cheaper, faster and more effective, experts say.

Each Iron Dome interceptor missile is estimated to cost about $50,000, if not more, according to experts. Israel fires two missiles per interception, Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv, told CNN.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which helps produce Iron Beam, said a laser defense system has “nearly zero cost per intercept.”

The laser system will be more effective against drones, experts say, which Israel’s Iron Dome has repeatedly failed to intercept.

While Israel’s Iron Dome intercepts and destroys most missiles, it is primarily designed to counter missiles and rockets, not drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are small, light and have low radar detection, meaning Israel’s radar systems will not always detect them the way they detect missiles, which are larger, experts said. Drones also do not always have a fixed destination and may change direction during the journey.

The laser system will be very effective against drones, Kalisky said. The laser will be able to effectively “heat and destroy” drones and UAVs.

Who else has technology using lasers?

The US Navy has tested high-energy laser weapons that can destroy aircraft in flight, and the UK recently introduced a laser weapon called DragonFire which can be used against aerial threats. The Pentagon also said China and Russia were developing lasers that could target satellites.

It is unclear whether Iran has developed its own laser defense system. In 2022, Iran said it “was capable of building laser weapons to defend … sensitive areas,” state media reported.

Iran, however, is suspected of possessing the Chinese-made “Silent Hunter” laser weapon, experts say, adding that the laser is not as high-powered as those designed for the Iron Beam.

The disadvantages of Iron Beam

However, Iron Beam has both its disadvantages. The laser system will not be able to work well in cloudy, rainy or hazy weather, experts say, adding that this reduces the laser’s ability to pass through the atmosphere and reach its target. The system also requires large amounts of energy to keep running.

The project’s ambitions and expected timeline also remain unclear.

One of the main problems is that to fulfill their ambitions with this laser technology, governments have always needed billions of dollars and decades of research, Bruchmann said.

INSS’s Kalisky said that while it is unclear whether the Iron Beam will indeed be an “alternate player” for Israel, it will still be “another layer of defense,” adding that it will likely be more effective against drones and short range rockets and missiles. But it may not be as effective against ballistic missiles.

Experts say Iron Beam could also act as a deterrent to further attacks by Iran and other countries.