Israel for the first time used laser air defense: Iron Beam system struck Hamas missiles - the media

Laser weapons are much cheaper than air defense missiles and can shoot endlessly as long as there is access to electricity, but it has a number of shortcomings, experts say. On the eve of Israel, he used the laser Iron Beam air defense system ("Iron Ray") to intercept rockets in the Gaza sector, a few years before it was planned to be implemented.

About it reports Newsweek with reference to the army correspondent of Israeli "Channel 14", and the Israeli military did not comment on the use of such weapons. Iron Beam, a high -power laser complex produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, was designed to intercept drones, missiles and small range shells. Its deployment was scheduled for 2025 and aimed at supplementing the existing Israeli Iron Dome air defense system.

The system uses an unlimited stock of shots and can be integrated into several platforms. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called her a "laser wall", and last year's tests showed that she successfully destroy rockets, mortars, drones and anti-tank shells. According to Newsweek, the advantage of the "iron beam" is that he cannot end with ammunition. It also makes its operation more profitable.

Iron Dome missiles are estimated at about $ 50,000 each, while the cost of launching Iron Beam is equal to the cost of electricity spent on a shot. David Gambling, a British military expert, told Newsweek that Iron Beam can continue to shoot, "while he has a power source, with a price for a shot, perhaps to a dollar. He can quickly switch from one purpose to another, and then strike The speed of light, quickly knocking down rockets while they fly. " However, laser weapons are not perfect yet.

For example, a laser takes a few seconds to influence the object to destroy it. Another problem was that rockets or drones can be covered with heat -resistant material, which would make the "iron beam" in vain. And the laser will not work in bad weather (rain and fog), so engineers still need to work on improving the system. Earlier, Focus said that EOS introduced a powerful Dazzler laser gun. 500 watts laser weapons fail the opticist optics and is considered a "soft damage" weapon.