Israel’s military to receive Iron Beam laser interception system on Dec 30: Official

Tel Aviv: A new low-cost laser interception system, known as Iron Beam, will be delivered to the Israeli military on December 30 to bolster its air defence, a senior defence ministry official announced here on Monday.

“With development complete and a comprehensive testing programme that has validated the system’s capabilities, we are prepared to deliver initial operational capability to the IDF on December 30, 2025,” said Brig Gen (Res.) Daniel Gold, Head of the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMOD) Directorate of Defence Research & Development.

“Simultaneously, we are already advancing the next-generation systems,” he added.

Iron Beam is a ground-based high-power laser air defence system designed to counter aerial threats, including rockets, mortars and UAVs.

Speaking at the second International DefenceTech Week at Tel Aviv University here, the Israeli general said that the Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield.

The system has been in development for over a decade.

“We are actively developing the next generation of technological surprises for future conflicts across space, offensive, and defensive domains and will operationalise them at the appropriate time,” he said.

During the recent war, short-range tactical laser systems were deployed and they successfully intercepted dozens of threats.

The system will be integrated into Israel’s multi-layered defence array as a complementary capability to the Iron Dome system.

This integration will significantly enhance Israel’s defence capabilities against current and future threats while offering substantially lower operational costs.

The high cost of interception was one of the main reasons behind this project.

“Now that the Iron Beam’s performance has been proven, we anticipate a significant leap in air defence capabilities through the deployment of these long-range laser weapon systems,” the defence ministry had said in September.

The event, led by the Directorate of Defence Research & Development (DDR&D), in collaboration with the Blavatnik Cyber Research Centre at Tel Aviv University, focuses on technological innovation in light of lessons learned from the recent war.