Iron Beam laser intercepts Hamas rocket from Gaza

The incident is the first use of a laser-based air defense system in a war zone.

By JNS

Israel made history in recent days with the first operational use its “Iron Beam” laser defense system during its war with Hamas, Channel 14 reported on Monday.

The laser beam successfully intercepted an incoming rocket fired by terrorists in the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory.

פרסמנו במהדורה: לראשונה בעולם – מערכת לייזר שפותחה בארץ הצליחה ליירט רקטה ששוגרה לעבר ישראל במהלך ימי הלחימה.
לאחר הפרסום בחדשות 14, על הצבתה של המערכת הנסיונית, כעת הגיעה הבשורה המשמחת – המערכת הצליחה לבצע יירוט מוצלח.

— הלל ביטון רוזן | Hallel Bitton Rosen (@BittonRosen) November 20, 2023

The incident is the first use of a laser-based air defense system in a war zone.

More than 10,000 missiles, rockets, mortars and drones have been launched at Israel since the start of “Operation Swords of Iron” in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.

Israel is accelerating the development of the Iron Beam, with the security establishment aiming to make it fully operational as early as next year, according a report on Monday in Israeli daily business news site Calcalist.

“More than a hundred engineers from Rafael’s Research, Development and Engineering division are working on accelerating the development of Iron Beam,” the article states.

Iron Beam is the first ever ground-based laser air defense system against rockets, mortars and unmanned aerial vehicles, delivering speed-of-light engagement of threats at low cost compared to missile interceptors.

Israel’s “Iron Sting” laser- and GPS-guided mortar weapon was used for the first time in combat during the Gaza ground operation, the IDF reported on Tuesday.

Soldiers from the Maglan unit used the Iron Sting weapon along with the Spike anti-tank guided missile during activities in the Strip. According to the IDF, the Maglan soldiers destroyed over 70 targets and killed many terrorists.