Ohr Eitan
Agency report
In five years, nothing hostile–no aircraft, no drones, no cruise missile, no shells, no bombs– will fly in the air of Israel territorial airspace because Israel has developed the world’s first operational laser interceptor called Iron Beam and to be named “Ohr Eitan”.
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The Iraeli Ministry of defense and the Rafael defense technology firm announced this on Wednesday, September 17.
“The system proved its effectiveness in a complete operational configuration by intercepting rockets, mortars, aircraft, and UAVs across a comprehensive range of operational scenarios,” the two bodies said in a joint statement.
The Iron Beam—to be renamed “Ohr Eitan” (“Eitan’s Light”) after Eitan Oster, who fell in battle in Lebanon and whose father was one of its developers—is set to be integrated into the Israel Defense Forces air defense arrays by the end of this year.
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The Iron Beam high-power laser system can track and destroy rockets, mortars, aircraft and UAVs. Credit: IMOD and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The Iron Beam in action during nighttime. Credit: IMOD and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
A global technological and engineering breakthrough, the laser system is expected to be utilized as a complementary capability to Israel’s Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow air defense systems.
“Achieving operational laser interception capability places the State of Israel at the forefront of global military technology and makes Israel the first nation to possess this capability,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz remarked.
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“This is not only a moment of national pride, but a historic milestone for our defense envelope: rapid, precise interception at marginal cost that joins our existing defense systems and changes the threat equation… Our enemies from Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and other arenas should know: just as we are strong in defense, we are strong in offense—and we will do everything to protect the security of Israeli citizens,” he added.
The Iron Beam was developed by the R&D Unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense, the Directorate of Defense Research & Development, the Israeli Air Force and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems—with weapons technology firm Elbit Systems serving as a project partner manufacturing the laser source.
Changing the history of warfare
Israel had successfully operated short-range laser systems against hostile drones in the past year, but the new Iron Beam system has a longer range that can also track and destroy rockets, mortars and aircraft—at a fraction of the cost of ground-to-air missiles.
During an address last month at a Tel Aviv University event about the lessons of the 12-day war with Iran, Rafael chairman Yuval Steinitz said that the progress in laser technology would induce a “total change in the entire history of war as we have known it until today.”
The former strategic affairs minister said that after 60 years in which all the world powers, led by the United States and including Israel, tried to create laser weapons and failed, “there was a breakthrough at Rafael five years ago that allowed us to create the world’s first effective laser weapon.”
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“In the last war, both in Lebanon and in the 12 days [of fighting] against Iran, a single laser device—the smallest of our devices—shot down dozens of drones, with exceptional success rates,” he went on to say.
The rollout of the Iron Beam is slated for November, Steinitz continued, and will provide Israel a much better protection against short- and medium-range rockets.
Credit: JNS
