“Our lasers will be ready to intercept Iranian missiles in under five years”

“We are developing airborne laser systems that will soon be introduced, essentially lasers that operate above the clouds. These systems are far more efficient, offering performance improvements of tens of percent. We expect them to be operational within three to five years,” said Michael (Miki) Edelstein, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Business Development Israel at Elbit.

“Our starting point is a laser pod for fighter jets. The threats will increase gradually; not everything begins with ballistic missiles, so we must remain modest. But the technological breakthrough has already been achieved. Now the focus is on engineering and moving toward production,” Edelstein added at the Haifa Metropolitan Economic Future Conference during a panel on defense technology.

Elbit is also working with Israeli defense company Rafael on the Iron Beam laser interceptor, which entered operational use last year. Earlier this year, Rafael unveiled its newly developed Iron Beam laser director alongside its full family of High-Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS).

The laser defense system is designed to intercept incoming missiles, including ballistic missiles launched from Iran, at a fraction of the cost of current interceptor systems such as Iron Dome and Arrow. Defense analysts say such technology could offer Israel a more sustainable solution against large-scale rocket and missile barrages from hostile states and terrorist groups.

“People around the world look at us in amazement at Rafael’s laser breakthrough. Although the laser was discovered 70 years ago, every country that tried failed to weaponize it,” said Dr. Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Rafael, speaking at the same event. “At Rafael, three physicists insisted on continuing research. Five years ago, they achieved a historic breakthrough, enabling laser beams to maintain power over kilometers despite air resistance. We have used the laser to shoot down missiles, rockets, UAVs, and even a mortar shell. Iron Beam’s smaller system shot down UAVs from Lebanon during the war. The larger system, which incorporates adaptive optics we developed, will be delivered to the IDF by the end of the year and become operational next year.”