JERUSALEM: After two decades of research and experimentation, Israeli defense officials now say they have a working prototype of a high-powered laser gun that can intercept rockets, mortar shells, drones and anti-tank missiles in flight . The system recently performed successfully in a series of live fire tests destroying a rocket, a mortar shell and a drone in the Israeli desert, officials said.
The government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to develop weapons, which PM Naftali Bennett this week described as a “strategic game changer”. “He” has vowed to surround Israel With a laser wall”.
Professionals developing the system say it is still years away from being fully operational in the field, and experts warn that even then, it may be of limited use in shielding Israel from heavy oncoming rocket fire. could. Still, laser weapons have shifted from science-fiction movies to reality. At least one laser weapon, Lockheed MartinHelios has begun deployment on US Navy ships. “There’s a lot of promising laser work going on,” said Thomas Caraco, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This is no longer ‘Star Wars’ science fiction. However, no laser weapon has been battle-tested yet, and the laser beam has serious limitations, such as the inability to shoot through clouds.
Israel’s ground-base laser air defense system, aptly named Iron Beam, is intended to complement other elements of Israel’s air defense arsenal, including the Iron Dome, the famous short-range missile interception system. Officials say that its advantage iron beam It will cost, with the interception costing less than the electricity needed to operate it. Bennett said that Iron Beam Interception costs about $3. 5 a shot, compared to thousands of dollars each iron Dome Intercept
The government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to develop weapons, which PM Naftali Bennett this week described as a “strategic game changer”. “He” has vowed to surround Israel With a laser wall”.
Professionals developing the system say it is still years away from being fully operational in the field, and experts warn that even then, it may be of limited use in shielding Israel from heavy oncoming rocket fire. could. Still, laser weapons have shifted from science-fiction movies to reality. At least one laser weapon, Lockheed MartinHelios has begun deployment on US Navy ships. “There’s a lot of promising laser work going on,” said Thomas Caraco, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This is no longer ‘Star Wars’ science fiction. However, no laser weapon has been battle-tested yet, and the laser beam has serious limitations, such as the inability to shoot through clouds.
Israel’s ground-base laser air defense system, aptly named Iron Beam, is intended to complement other elements of Israel’s air defense arsenal, including the Iron Dome, the famous short-range missile interception system. Officials say that its advantage iron beam It will cost, with the interception costing less than the electricity needed to operate it. Bennett said that Iron Beam Interception costs about $3. 5 a shot, compared to thousands of dollars each iron Dome Intercept