Elbit Systems has won a contract in the amount of about $200 million the Israeli Defense Ministry to supply its powerful laser systems for the Iron Beam (Magen Or) air defense system being developed by Rafael. The contract is part of a huge deal that was signed on Sunday with the main developer of Iron Beam, Rafael, and with Elbit Systems. The scope of the transaction is NIS 2 billion ($533 million), and it is intended to significantly expand the equipment of the laser interception systems.
Defense Ministry Director-General, Major General (Ret.) Eyal Zamir, stated that the ground laser system is expected to enter operational service in a year.
Iron Beam is an active defense system based on laser weapons for protection against short-range rockets, missiles, and mortar bombs, and against aircraft including hovercraft, unmanned aircraft, and drones.
After the system detects the launch of threatening targets, it will fire at them a powerful laser beam that is not in the visible range, whose function is to heat the incoming object until it explodes in the air or falls to the ground. The system uses a solid-state laser, relying on adaptive optics to correct atmospheric distortions.
ADVANTAGES
- The cost of each interception is very low, estimated at a few shekels; The cost is calculated only according to the cost of the required electricity. According to Retired General Yitzhak Ben Israel, head of the Tel Aviv University Cyber Center, the cost of interception is about $1,000 dollars when the electric bill is considered. Still, compared to the cost of one Iron Dome interception ($30,000) this is a huge bargain.
- Instant interception speed carried out by laser, which maximizes the interception capacity, because even if the first attempt was not successful, it is possible to try to intercept again, increasing the heat impact of the original beam.
- Immediate interception over enemy territory, which eliminates the need for alerting the home front.
- The system has an almost unlimited supply of “interceptors” (laser beams), which require only electricity. The need to load interceptor missiles was replaced by the need to fill generators with fuel.
DISADVANTAGES
- Limited range, making it ineffective against long-range ballistic missiles.
- The system is limited to a single intercept at any moment; It takes several seconds of hitting the target to destroy it, compared to the Iron Dome system where the target is destroyed as soon as the missile hits it, allowing Iron Dome to intercept several targets at the same time from one launcher hive.
- To deal with several threats at the same time and to create effective protection of large areas, the use of a large number of systems is required, which increases the costs.
- The system requires significant cooling facilities and generators to produce high power electricity.
