by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel’s Iron Beam, a high-powered laser air defense system, is set to become fully operational by mid-2025, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced Monday, as the government announced a 2 billion-shekel ($536 million) arms agreement.
The Magen Or system, otherwise known as “Iron Beam”, will integrate into the network of Israel’s air defense system, said military-research chief Daniel Gold.
“The combination between laser interception and missile interception will further tighten the defense envelope against rockets, missiles, drones, cruise missiles, and other threats,” Gold stated.
The Magan Or system is designed to intercept a wide array of aerial threats, including rockets, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and cruise missiles. The plan is to fully integrate the Iron Beam into the existing Iron Dome system. In the future, an algorithm will determine whether to neutralize aerial threats using a laser or the Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptor missiles.
The Iron Beam’s 100-kW laser has a range of only 5 to 6 miles, far shorter than the Iron Dome’s, and can intercept only one threat at a time, unlike Iron Dome, which can handle multiple threats simultaneously.
Additionally, the laser system faces limitations during poor visibility, such as cloudy weather, rain, or sandstorms.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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