The Gulf States Want in on Israel’s Iron Beam

Israel could achieve a major milestone in terms of military technology later this year. If all goes as planned, the Jewish state will be the first to field a high-energy laser weapon. While directed energy weapons have been studied and researched for decades, the emerging Iron Beam will represent a huge feat if introduced by October 2025. The Israeli Ministry of Defense revealed last fall that an agreement between the government and manufacturers Rafael and Elbit will result in the Iron Beam system, expected to operate along with the nation’s other tiered defense apparatuses. Specifically, the beam will function alongside Iron Dome batteries, achieving a combination that will “further tighten the defense envelope against rockets, missiles, drones, cruise missiles and other threats,” according to Defense News. As Israel inches closer to its 2025 deadline, the Gulf states have also expressed interest in fielding similar technology. Iranian-backed proxy groups continue to wreak havoc on the region, making the possession of such a laser counter-drone system so coveted.

The Gulf states are also eyeing laser defense

While the Gulf states share a common goal of being able to better protect against aerial barrages from non-state actors, no joint initiative exists to date. According to Defense News, Riyadh has procured a Chinese-designed smaller laser counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system and the United Arab Emirates is looking at an independent initiative to achieve something similar. In a photograph published by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Defense last January, a counter-UAV system was unveiled near the nation’s Northwest Region Command.

A brief overview of Iron Beam

The Iron Beam project was initially debuted by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems back in 2014 at the Singapore Air Show. However, the inception of such a laser weapon dates back much further. The program’s origins are actually connected to the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, formed under the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s. The “Star Wars” program included the study of new advanced weapons concepts, including lasers. However, the technology wasn’t quite there at the time to make this futuristic laser program accessible. But by 2014, Israel possessed the technology required to reveal the prototype for the Iron Beam concept.

As a solid-state laser, Iron Beam uses a solid crystalline material to focus the beam, instead of the gas or liquid that many of the larger chemical lasers developed in the 1980s. Notably, the Beam reportedly costs a mere $2 per interception, which is much cheaper than the Iron Dome’s specialized interceptors, which can range in cost from $20,000-$1,00,000 each.

Once the beam is in action with the Israel Defense Forces, the extent of the defense mechanism’s true capabilities can really be tested. If the laser weapon works as planned, the Gulf states will undoubtedly be eyeing the new technology. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to launch frequent barrages in the region, making the necessity of such an anti-UAV apparatus so prudent.

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