Tel Aviv: The prototype of the Israeli system Iron Beam, designed to destroy aerial threats with a powerful laser beam, has been deployed for advanced testing near the Gaza strip during the ongoing war.

Two years ago,  after a ‘long war’ between the proponents and opponents of a laser based defence systems, the program has been officially started.

Sources say that the initial effort is to develop an electric 100-150 kW solid state laser that is capable of intercepting rockets and missiles. The idea is to use two laser guns to create the needed power.

A source in the defence industry said that in order to have a system that will be capable of intercepting more than short range rockets and missiles, Israel will need a laser generator that will be capable of producing a 1 Mega Watt beam.

Following a series of discussions, the Israeli defence ministry approved allocation of hundreds of millions of NIS for the development and production of the “Iron Beam” system. The development plan for “Iron Beam” is led by the Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) in the Ministry of Defence together with Rafael and Elbit Systems. After the initial investment, the next stage will include the allocation of additional hundreds of millions of NIS to complete the process.

In the past, Israel and the US cooperated for the development of the Nautilus, a laser “cannon” that could kill rockets. The Nautilus was a Tactical High-Energy Laser, or THEL. In 1996, the United States and Israel agreed to cooperate on the development and production of the Nautilus. In year 2000, the demonstrator managed to shoot down 28 Katyusha artillery rockets and five artillery shells.

On November 4, 2002, THEL shot down an incoming artillery shell. The prototype weapon was very big and heavy, and could not get smaller mainly because of the specifications of the chemical Laser generator. The program was discontinued in 2005.

The opposition to the laser weapon in Israel, brought to the development of the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.