Israel to Deploy Iron Beam Laser Air-Defense System
The directed-energy interceptor targets rockets, mortars and drones within a layered air-defense shield.
Overview
- Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Dec. 28 it will deploy Iron Beam, a high‑power system intended to shoot down rockets, mortars and unmanned aircraft.
- Iron Beam is slated to operate alongside Iron Dome and Arrow as part of a multi‑tiered air‑defense architecture.
- A handover ceremony for the system was held on Dec. 28 at defense contractor Rafael’s facility, according to the Kyodo dispatch.
- Defense Minister Katz said testing produced many successes and claimed the system has reached an operational stage first in the world.
- Japanese outlets published summaries of the announcement on Dec. 29 via a Kyodo News Jerusalem dispatch, with most reports behind paywalls that limit technical details.