New Era of Defense: Israel Ordered Laser Air Defense Systems for $500 Million.

On October 28, the Israeli Ministry of Defense signed contracts for the delivery of Iron Beam laser air defense systems worth $500 million. This is reported by CTech.

The Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Eyal Zamir, calls this deal "an era of laser defense systems." He adds that the first ground-based laser air defense systems will start operating in 2025.

The deals were concluded with the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (an organ of the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces) and defense companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems.

Iron Beam is designed to counter various aerial targets, including rockets and mortar shells, UAVs, and cruise missiles. It will be used as an additional defense system for Israel, enhancing the capabilities of the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The CEO of Rafael, Yoav Turgeman, notes that the development of these laser systems took several years and now they are the first of their kind in the world, ready for use.

Recall that as a result of Israel's strikes on Iran on October 26, air defense systems were destroyed, which protected key oil refining and petrochemical facilities, as well as systems guarding a large gas field and a major port in the south of the country.