Setting the Context
Following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Middle East has been grappling with a surge in the use of rockets, drones, and missiles. Although Israel facing rocket attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah is not new, the threat landscape has broadened amidst the ongoing Gaza War, with both the Houthis and Iran launching missile strikes against Israel.
Iran and its ‘Axis of Resistance’ comprising of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis have significantly heightened the aerial threats facing Israel. For instance, a notable incident took place on 31st October 2023, when the Houthis launched a missile from Yemen, which travelled over a thousand kilometres to reach southern Israel, marking several significant milestones. It was the first successful interception by Israel’s Arrow ballistic missile defence system, the first-ever combat interception of a missile in space, and possibly the ‘longest-range ballistic missile launch’ ever recorded in active warfare. Another instance was in April of 2024 when Iran launched a coordinated aerial assault on Israel by firing loitering ammunitions coupled with 300 cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Subsequent episodes of aerial escalation were observed recently when Iran retaliated against Israel’s bombing of Lebanon and killing of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah by firing a barrage of 180 missiles.
While Israel’s multi-layered air defence system comprising the Iron Dome, David Sling, and Arrow missiles has demonstrated considerable effectiveness in countering these aerial threats, they have certain limitations when faced with saturation attacks. The saturation attacks, either by drone swarms or by missiles, can quickly exhaust the silos of the Iron Dome and other air defence systems. If the current trends continue and the Iranian missiles become more numerous and increasingly precision-guided, Israel might face difficulties in intercepting and thwarting a coordinated aerial assault in the face of an overwhelming number of incoming hostile missiles.
The rapid proliferation of Iranian missiles and rockets across the Middle East has pushed Israel to the cusp of deploying a newly developed laser interception system— ‘the Iron Beam.’ The Iron Beam is a high-energy laser weapon system that promises a new approach to countering aerial threats emanating from hostile rockets, missiles, and drones. It uses Directed Energy (DE)⸻a concentrated beam of electromagnetic energy, to destroy an incoming aerial threat. Unlike kinetic energy, it uses fibre optics to generate a laser pulse of 100 kilowatts, with an effective range of 7 to 70 kilometres. This laser pulse can heat an incoming projectile for about 4 to 5 seconds, melting and neutralising it in the air.
However, the question is whether or not the deployment of the Iron Beam will mark a pivotal shift in its air defence. Will it be a game-changer like the Iron Dome? These questions can only be answered definitively once the Iron Beam is tested in combat. For now, we can only examine its specifications, assess its potential strengths and weaknesses, and gauge its likely effectiveness in battlefield scenarios.
Historical Overview
Israel’s quest for combat lasers can be traced back to July 1996, when it joined forces with the United States to embark upon a project to develop the Tactical High Energy Lasers (THEL) system. The THEL complex was built on a chemical laser powered by Deuterium Fluoride. The system was designed to generate 2 Megawatts of power to counter and mitigate hostile aerial threats, including artillery shells and unguided rockets.
However, the THEL project demonstrated a low operational readiness, and there were issues regarding its swift mobility from one place to another. The platform was then modified and redeveloped into an agile and portable system called the MTHEL (Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser) complex. Although the MTHEL was better than its previous version and succeeded in destroying 28 Katyusha unguided rockets in the test trails, the Israeli military was not satisfied with its user-friendliness, its high complexity coupled with high cost and very modest features.
Eventually, Israel pulled out of the MTHEL project in 2005 and opted to develop Kippat Barzel, now popularly known as the ‘Iron Dome’. The Iron Dome was favoured over the laser-based system because the latter had not yet developed into an economically viable or operationally reliable investment.
Nevertheless, in 2014, a renewed effort was made to develop a combat laser system when Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd (an Israeli company which designs and manufactures hi-tech defence systems) unveiled a new project for a laser defence complex called Karen Barzel or the ‘Iron Ray’. The Iron Ray laser complex was designed as a mobile system placed on a car chassis. This laser complex consisted of two large containers mounted on two trucks. It had a radar station for mapping the targets and employed a “high-powered solid laser to hit aerial targets”. It also had a command post for communicating with its subsystems. In due course, further research and development of the Iron Ray laser complex led to the creation of the Iron Beam.
Strengths and Limitations of the Iron Beam
The most significant advantage of using Iron Beam is its cost-effectiveness. As of now, a typical Hamas or Hezbollah rocket costs somewhere between 300-to-800 US dollars. On the other hand, Israel spends anywhere between 50,000 to 10,0000 US dollars to intercept and destroy these incoming rockets by using Iron Dome and other interceptor missiles. Compared to these conventional air-defence weapons, the cost of Iron Beam will be a mere 3.50 US dollars per interception. The stark cost disparity underscores the significant economic advantage that Iron Beam will have over conventional kinetic options.
Besides its relatively low cost, combat lasers can target and shoot an incoming projectile without making complex trajectory calculations. It is pertinent to mention that Israel’s layered air defence systems that use interceptor missiles are effective against long-range projectiles which follow predictable trajectories. However, it gets challenging for an air-defence system to track an incoming hostile projectile if launched from a very close range. If a hostile missile is launched from a nearby location, the interceptor only has a few seconds to respond. Such narrow margins can sometimes lead to unsuccessful interception. In such scenarios, the Iron Beam provides a critical, near-instantaneous response to neutralise aerial threats.
The other advantage of using a combat laser system is related to its recharge time. An air-defence battery, once used, takes a few hours to replenish and reload. During this interval, the area protected by the battery is rendered defenceless. In contrast, the laser shoots all the time. It requires no refills, thereby reducing logistical demands and minimising vulnerability.
Nevertheless, the Iron Beam complex also has its limitations. The system can be rendered ineffective due to inclement weather conditions, especially in low visibility or during heavy cloud cover. Israel plans to mount the system on an aircraft to negate its weather dependency and bypass the weather-related disruptions. Another drawback is its costly maintenance. Despite being operationally cheaper than other air defence systems, the Iron Beam is very expensive to acquire and maintain.
Conclusion
The impact of the Iron Beam as a potential game-changer can only be determined once it is tested in actual combat. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it will add muscle to Israel’s air defence capability and help counter the ever-increasing threats of rockets, drone swarms, as well as missiles and mortars. It will augment the overall capacity of Israel’s air defence by reducing operational costs and by addressing the gaps and vulnerabilities. The Iron Beam will increase accuracy as it is designed for precision hitting. It will also have some minor advantage over conventional air defence systems, as it will not require ammunition or reloading. However, laser weapons have a limited strategic range and cannot hit long-distance targets as far as hundreds of kilometres. Therefore, despite the cutting-edge technology and futuristic design, laser weapons are yet to evolve as an alternative for conventional air-defence systems. Instead, they will complement and strengthen the overall effectiveness of existing air-defence systems in active service.
