JERUSALEM — Israel’s Iron Beam laser air defense system is officially active.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems delivered the first Iron Beam system to the Israeli Air Force on Dec. 29, just getting in under the wire on a promise to deliver Iron Beam before the end of the year, according to a joint press release.
The ministry noted that the system, known as “Or Eitan” in Hebrew, was run through “an extensive series of tests against various threats and successfully intercepted rockets, mortars, and UAVs, will be integrated into the IAF and incorporated into Israel’s multi-layered aerial defense array as a complementary capability to the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow systems.”
The potential for laser-based interception of drones, missiles and rockets is one long-desired by militaries, given the cost discrepancy between an expensive kinetic interceptor and incoming small drones or rockets. The Iron Beam can burn or fry objects at a range of around ten kilometers, according to previous statements.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the delivery as a “significant moment” where “we all feel immense pride in the precedent established here today. For the first time globally, a high-power laser interception system has achieved full operational maturity, successfully executing multiple interceptions throughout an extensive trial series replicating diverse operational scenarios.”
Rafael’s President and CEO, Yoav Tourgeman noted that even as Israel was in active combat following the Oct. 7 2023 terrorist attacks and subsequent two-front war, the company continued to develop “an unprecedented technological capability, transforming a visionary concept into an operational reality.”
Amir Baram, the ministry’s director general, said that the delivery marks the completion of an initial phase, from development to serial manufacturing. There are “numerous additional systems already in production,” he said. “Even as production continues, we are already advancing the development of next-generation defense systems for land and air deployment.”
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Rafael has made a big bet on laser systems as a supplement for its vaunted Iron Dome air defense system, replacing kinetic interceptors with directed energy that is significantly cheaper. The firm has developed several types of laser defenses over the last years, including a smaller version called Lite Beam and also a mobile version. The lasers have already been used to down threats, Israeli officials said in May 2025.
Other industry partners include Elbit Systems, “which is responsible for the laser source, as well as other defense industries, including SCD and Shafir Systems,” according to the release.