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Posted on 12/28/2025 7:07:12 AM PST by Mr. Mojo
The Defense Ministry says Iron Beam is now operational at scale, offering low-cost laser interception of drones, rockets, missiles, and mortars, and reducing reliance on costly interceptors.
The Defense Ministry on Sunday announced that the Iron Beam paradigm-shattering laser anti-air defense has been rolled out in the field.
Already in June, the ministry and Rafael, the lead company of multiple defense tech companies involved, including Elbit and others, had announced that Lite Beam, a smaller relative of Iron Beam, was operational.
In mid-September, the Defense Ministry announced that Iron Beam was operational and that a full series of batteries would be fanning out across the country to provide cutting-edge new air defense capabilities within the coming months.
On December 1, Directorate of Defense Research and Development (MAFAT) chief Brig.-Gen. (res.) Daniel Gold announced that further and full deployment would take place by December 30.
Back in June, the ministry already disclosed that Israeli laser defense systems had shot down around 40 Hezbollah drones in October 2024.
Iron Beam has more power, a longer range, and can be used to defend against a wide array of threats as compared to Lite Beam. Second, Iron Beam can specifically shoot down not only drones, but also missiles, rockets, and mortars, making it far more formidable than if it were only capable of shooting down drones, a relatively slow- moving threat.
Third, the announcement means that Iron Beam batteries will be produced and dispersed around the country at scale, as opposed to serving in just one or two locations where their impact would take time to be judged.
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
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Iran declares ‘total war’ against US, Israel and Europe as Islamic Republic seeks to expand nuclear capabilities: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4359234/posts
Am Yisrael Chai.
Beta testing, and then Jewish Space Lasers!
Any plans on naval applications? Say, on sharks?
Drone plinking...
It will probably work great against drones and other slowly moving targets but I doubt it will be effective against hypersonic missiles. I’ve watch video of a hypersonic and as soon as you see the missile coming over the horizon it has already hit the target within that same second.
GREAT!
Saw their spaceships in a Mel Brooks movie...
I guess that makes you an expert
Hypersonic =~ 3,800 mph. Speed of light = 186,000 mps.
Hypers are ....... military virtue signaling. They leave an horrendous “contrail”readily visible to any sort of radar . A laser will take them out as soon as line of sight is achieved.
Ground hugging cruise missiles are more difficult as they are not so readily spotted since they don’t ionize the bloody air they are moving thru.
As to laser defenses, this marks the end of air superiority. Fighters, bombers, etc are now sitting ducks. If they clear the horizon and are in line of sight of a rapidly recharging laser they are suicide missions. The USAF has a fundamental problem.
We need this on our aircraft carriers, now.
“Fighters, bombers, etc are now sitting ducks.”
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You’re probably right. It’s going to totally change the face of warfare.
Target acquisition time would be the hair in that soup.
Not a believer.
Here are all the things that have to go right.
1) Detect the target inbound, probably aiming at your laser beam’s tracking radar. So you have to get it before it gets you.
2) Deliver joules on target, and hold the joules on target, long enough to melt a hole through. This is called dwell time. Your laser mounting gimbals have to be perfect, there can be no rain, and the Chinese have to have allowed you to have neodymium magnets for the electric motors that are doing all the gimbal tracking.
3) You have to have enough local power for the radar system (and its tracking electric motors) and power for the laser tracking motors.
4) You have to do this for hypersonics that give you a few seconds for everything. If one gets through, just one, the radar network dies, or a local power distributor dies. Then the whole thing no longer works. This is not to mention just how much power is required to have any sort of range.
Have a look at some of the US Navy vids for their shipbased laser. It can hit a rowboat a few hundred feet away and achieve burn-thru. In calm seas. Yay for us.
Iran claims its hypersonics travel Mach 13-15. Mach 13 is 9,630 miles per hour. The speed of light isn’t the issue it’ how fast you can lock onto the target that matters.
Has The Squad called it Star of David Wars?
Forgot to mention that Iran’s hypersonic are also maneuverable which would greatly complicate matters.
They’re not faster than the speed of light.
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