Israel's new anti-drone laser weapon system

The missile interception technology is expected to reduce the high costs currently incurred while shooting down aerial threats. Israel plans to develop a laser with a 100-kilowatt output that can detect drones at a maximum distance of 20 kilometres (12.4 miles). To improve the effectiveness of the current air defence systems, such as the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow, a ground-based laser system is being developed. It is anticipated to be used on land, in the air, and at sea. (Hussain, 2022)

The system reportedly worked well in a recent round of live fire testing in the southern Israeli desert, eliminating a drone, a mortar round, and a rocket. Officials watching the action on video gave the system a standing ovation. The weapon is being developed with hundreds of millions of dollars from the government, according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who calls it a "strategic game changer." (Kershner, 2022) He gave a detailed account of how he envisions to "encircle Israel with a laser wall." The system will not be completely operational in the field for several years, according to those working on it, and even then, they warn, it might only be somewhat effective in defending Israel against intense rocket bombardment at first.

It is notable to understand that while the drone destroyer has been a critical node of defence concerns, the ground-based laser system — also called, Iron Beam —is not meant to replace the Iron Dome or Israel’s other air defence systems, but to supplement and complement them, shooting down smaller projectiles and leaving larger ones for the more robust missile-based batteries.

History of Repeated Attempts

The Strategic Defence Initiative, popularly known as "Star Wars," was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to find a mechanism to fire down nuclear ballistic missiles, including by using laser technology. That endeavour was given up in 1993 after spending more than $200 billion with little to show for it. However, other programmes continued the investigation. Israel and the United States made an attempt to create a test high-energy laser system with a less ambitious range in the late 1990s that was intended to kill missiles in flight. The technology then changed from the chemical laser, which required corrosive and toxic chemicals to induce a beam and machinery nearly the size of an on-site laboratory, to the optical laser, which did not require such corrosive and toxic chemicals but was bulkier and performed poorly. That effort, known as Nautilus, was shelved in 2005. (ZAFFAR, 2022)

Iron Beam: the working

Iron Beam uses a fibre laser system to vaporise any object in the air. Israel said that their Iron Dome defence system, which intercepts 90% of incoming missile fire, had been a great success. The new weapon directs laser beams at a specific area on the projectile, heating it to the point of destruction while the systems fire tiny guided missiles to stop oncoming projectiles.

Three components make up an Iron Dome battery: a radar, a control centre, and interceptor missiles. When a rocket is fired, the radar detects it, and the control centre instantly determines its flight path. If it determines that the launch will be risky, interceptor missiles are sent to detonate the rocket before it approaches its target too closely, producing bright flashes of light and loud booms. Iron Dome, despite its diminutive size, has a wide coverage area of 2.5 to 40 miles. This means that it can stop rockets fired from the southern Gaza Strip that are aimed at both the border areas and as far away as the northern Israeli city of Haifa's outskirts. (Berman, 2022)

Drawbacks

There is no concern about running out of ammunition because the Iron Beam is thought to be quite potent and there is a constant source of energy. The drawback of this laser technology, like any other technical advancement, is that it performs poorly when there is poor sight, such as when there is a lot of cloud cover or other bad weather. The Iron Beam, like energy-based armament, isn't a wholly original idea, and neither is the mechanism that powers it. As a result, the ministry plans to mount the system on an aeroplane, which would help get around this limitation by putting the system above the clouds, though that is still a few more years away.

Since the 1990s, Israel has been developing a laser-based air defence system. Israel wanted to replace the Iron Dome, but because laser technology wasn't yet an affordable weapon, the dome was given priority. It was in 2009 that Rafael started working on a laser-based defence system. The company unveiled the Iron Beam in its basic incarnation at the Singapore Air Show in 2014. It is then after seven years, that it has undergone evaluation and seems to be nearing installation. (Iddon, 2022)

Israel has had a lengthy history of exporting weapons to other countries, notably India, who uses Israeli Tavor assault rifles, Negev and B-300 anti-tank rocket launchers, and Phalcon AWACS units, among other things. (Tiwari, 2022) Bennett earlier implied that other states would use the system when he said, "This next generation of air defence can also serve our allies in the area." This might be a fantastic chance for Israel to not only lead the way in defence innovation but also serve as a friendly neighbourhood ally for its interests in the Pacific and Asia. Not to mention, even if improvements in defence have been known to cause security issues, they also enhance relationships between people and create enduring alliances.

References

·        Barak, N. (2021, may 19). Everything you need to know about the Iron Dome. Retrieved from israel21c.org: https://www.israel21c.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iron-dome/

·        Berman, I. (2022, june 23). The Logic of Israel’s Laser Wall. Retrieved from realcleardefense.com: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2022/06/23/the_logic_of_israels_laser_wall_838770.html

·        FABIAN, E. (2022, april 14). In ‘game changer,’ Israeli laser-based air defense shoots down drones. Retrieved from timesofisrael.com: https://www.timesofisrael.com/laser-based-air-defense-shoots-down-drones-rockets-in-first-series-of-trials/

·        Hussain, Z. (2022, april 23). Explained: What is Israel's New Air Defence System 'Iron Beam'? Retrieved from indiatimes.com: https://www.indiatimes.com/explainers/news/what-is-israels-new-air-defence-system-iron-beam-567726.html#What_are_the_drawbacks?

·        Iddon, P. (2022, june 9). Is The Iron Beam Laser Defense System A Military And Economic Game-Changer For Israel? Retrieved from forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2022/06/09/is-the-iron-beam-laser-defense-system-a-military-and-economic-game-changer-for-israel/?sh=36263c601f5d

·        Kershner, I. (2022, june 3). Israel Builds a Laser Weapon to Zap Threats Out of the Sky. Retrieved from nytimes.com: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/03/world/middleeast/israel-laser-rockets.html

·        Tiwari, S. (2022, april 15). Making History’ – Israel Becomes The First Country To Successfully Shoot Down Drones With ‘Iron Beam’ Laser Interceptors. Retrieved from eurasiantimes.com: https://eurasiantimes.com/israel-successfully-shoot-down-drones-with-laser-interceptor/

·        Zaffar, H. (2022, april 19). Israel Tests New Laser-Based Air Defense System. Retrieved from thedefensepost.com: https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/04/19/israel-iron-beam-laser/

Pic Courtesy-Michal Czyz at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)