Israeli laser defense set for 2025 deployment after $536 million expansion

The Magan Or system is designed to intercept a wide range of aerial threats, including rockets, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and cruise missiles.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

An Israeli laser-based air defense system under development is expected to become operational in mid-2025, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Monday as it announced the signing of a 2 billion-shekel ($536 million) order to expand its production.

The Magen Or system, more commonly referred to as “Iron Beam,” is the laser equivalent of Israel’s better-known Iron Dome system.

“At the outbreak of the war, the Ministry of Defense signed hundreds of orders worth tens of billions of shekels, to strengthen the independence of blue and white production and to build the strength of the [Israel Defense Forces],” said Major General (Res.) Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry’s Director General.

“The ‘Magen Or’ deal is one of the most important deals we have signed, as it heralds the beginning of a new era on the battlefield – the laser era,” which Zamir said “is expected to enter operational service in a year from today. The ‘Magan Or’ deal will ensure the continuation and acceleration of equipping many more laser systems.”

The Magan Or system is designed to intercept a wide range of aerial threats, including rockets, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and cruise missiles. The plan is to integrate Iron Beam into the Iron Dome system. In the future, an algorithm will determine whether to shoot down aerial threats with a laser or the Tamir interceptors.

Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptor missiles reportedly cost around $50,000 apiece and require replenishing.

However, the 100-kilowatt laser has a range of about eight to 10 kilometers (five to six miles), which is considerably shorter than that of Iron Dome.

Each laser can engage a single threat at a time, unlike the Iron Dome, which can intercept multiple threats simultaneously.

In 2022, then-prime minister Naftali Bennett said the system would “bankrupt” Israel’s enemies.

“Until today, it cost us a lot of money to intercept each rocket. Today they can invest tens of thousands of dollars in a rocket and we will invest $2 on the electricity for intercepting that rocket,” Bennett said at the time.

The Iron Dome system put Israel on the map with its ability to shoot down short-range threats such as rockets, missiles and mortars.

It was first deployed in March 2011, and the following month, it scored its very first interception.

The primary contractors for Iron Beam’s production are Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems, both based in Haifa.

In January 2020, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced three different laser programs: A ground-based laser to supplement Iron Dome, a mobile system to protect military units during maneuvers and an aerial system capable of downing threats from above.

The aerial version will give Israel the ability to use lasers against rockets above cloud cover.

Israel’s multi-layered air defenses drew considerable international attention for intercepting a variety of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones launched by Iran and its proxies during the past year.

The Arrow-3 system is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles in space. The system made its first interception when it shot down a ballistic missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The interception is widely believed to have taken place outside the earth’s atmosphere, which would make Israel the first country to shoot down a missile in space. But Israel has not confirmed that detail.

Other layers of Israel’s air defense system include David’s Sling which is designed to shoot down medium-range threats at high altitudes, and the C-Dome system, designed to protect naval vessels from short-range threats.