New weapons require new defense systems, which basically means money, money, and more money. It is the infinite cycle of war. A great business. Drones are forcing the entire arsenal to be renewed, and from today, Israel I already fight them with a laser beam shield known as the Iron Beam.
It is the new layer of Israeli protection that joins the Iron Dome and David’s Sling, the anti-missile systems that protect the country.
While the Iron Dome It is an anti-missile system with a range of up to 70 kilometers and a height of 10 kilometers, the David’s Sling It reaches 300 kilometers and 15 kilometers high. Now Iron Lightning is released.
Israel’s laser beams against drones
The two anti-missile systems mentioned are of no use in the face of a drone attack, which the invasion of Ukraine has made so fashionable. That’s why Israel has released the Iron Lightning.
This is an anti-drone device that uses a 100,000-watt laser beam to fry small flying devicesfrom drones to mortar fire and rockets. It is the first time that a weapon of this type has been used as a defense shield.
The Israeli Defense Ministry has not explained how it works, for obvious reasons. We only know that “the system features an advanced laser source and a unique electro-optical targeting system, allowing a wide range of targets to be intercepted at a longer operating distance, all at a negligible marginal cost, which is the main advantage of the laser system.”
The effect, the good thing (for the pockets of citizens, not for weapons manufacturers), is that shooting a laser beam only costs a few euroswhile a shot from the Iron Dome is worth over 50,000 euros, and one from David’s Honda is worth one million euros.
Defense Minister Israel Katz is delighted with his new defense shield: «Certain events truly deserve the qualification of ‘historical milestone’, in the most precise sense. We can all feel immense pride in the precedent that has been set here today.»
And he continues: «For the first time in the world, a high-power laser interception system has reached full operational maturity, successfully executing multiple interceptions throughout an extensive series of tests that reproduced various operational scenarios.»
It seems that laser weapons are going to become the countermeasure to drone attacks. Other countries will surely soon adopt similar systems.