Tel Aviv: Israeli company Rafael is presenting in Eurosatory 2026, an integrated, multilayered approach to air defence, and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) developed in direct response to the evolving operational realities facing land forces today.
Across Europe, the security environment has shifted decisively. The proliferation of unmanned aerial systems, the growing reach and precision of stand-off threats, and the renewed prominence of large-scale land operations have moved layered air defence and platform survivability from specialised requirements to foundational ones.
Protecting manoeuvring forces, critical infrastructure, and population centres now depends not on any single system, but on how multiple complementary layers, from the strategic tier down to the individual platform, are integrated into a coherent and affordable whole. Rafael’s presentation at Eurosatory is built around this principle.
Yoav Tourgeman, CEO of Rafael, said, “The defining challenge of modern land warfare is no longer whether a threat can be intercepted, but whether it can be intercepted reliably, at the right rate and cost, and as part of an integrated picture that commanders can act on with confidence. Real-world experience has shown that effective defence is a question of layers working together, whether it be integrated C-UAS on platforms or strategic air defence systems. Rafael’s solutions are designed to deliver that integrated advantage across every layer, and to remain affordable and adaptable as the threat continues to evolve.”
In the air defence domain, Rafael will present its layered architecture spanning close-in, short-range, and medium-range interception. The company’s showcase highlights the short layer defence – IRON DOME, the multi-mission system that has conducted more than 10,000 combat interceptions over 15 years of operational service, with a success rate well over 90 percent, and DAVID’S SLING, extending coverage into the upper tiers of the layered defence.
Together these systems provide agile, modular, and interoperable protection against massive and saturated attacks from rockets, cruise missiles, ballistic threats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and additional aerial threats, capable of operating independently or as part of an integrated air defence network.
High-energy laser interception forms an increasingly integral layer of this architecture, offering a sustainable answer to the economics of mass aerial and drone threats; the systems are based on unique adaptive optic technology.
Rafael’s directed-energy portfolio comprises three members: IRON BEAM, the high-energy laser system that engages distant threats at the speed of light at a near-zero cost per interception; the mobile IRON BEAM-M, configured to accompany manoeuvring forces and protect strategic sites; and LITE BEAM, a compact, lightweight system delivering fast-reacting, cost-efficient protection for mobile and forward-deployed units.
Together they provide a scalable set of integrated laser solutions within the broader air defence framework.
The widespread use of low, slow, and small aerial threats has become one of the most pressing challenges for land forces, demanding responses that are both effective and economically sustainable at scale.
Rafael will present its low-altitude interceptor capabilities, including HUNTER EAGLE, a compact vertical take-off and landing interceptor developed for counter-UAS missions and engineered to integrate within Rafael’s wider C-UAS architecture. These capabilities extend Rafael’s detection-to-neutralisation chain into the air itself, complementing the company’s established DRONE DOME detection and classification suite alongside its soft- and hard-kill effectors.
As part of its counter-UAS offering, Rafael will also unveil a new counter-UAS capability at the exhibition, further expanding its portfolio for detecting and neutralising unmanned aerial threats across the low-altitude spectrum.
The same layered philosophy extends down to the individual armoured platform, where survivability now depends on defeating a converging set of threats, from anti-tank guided missiles to loitering munitions and hostile drones. Rafael will showcase how multiple complementary layers protect the vehicle and its crew against this full spectrum.
All of these battle proven capabilities are underpinned by Rafael’s long-standing R&D excellence. As an R&D-driven organisation, Rafael continuously invests in advanced research, engineering talent, and test infrastructure, ensuring that innovation is informed by real operational requirements and that technologies mature rapidly from concept to deployment, and continue to evolve based on operational feedback.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
