Tel Aviv. A massive operation of Israeli developed laser systems against incendiary balloons launched from Gaza resulted in the intercept of a few dozens of these balloons that in recent weeks caused big fires in Israel near the Gaza strip.
The laser Lahav Or Light Blade system was developed by Prof. Amiel Ishaaya at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev after incendiary balloons were launched into Israel in 2018 setting fire to farmland and causing widespread damage.
Realizing that no one was looking into a way to prevent the balloons from posing a threat, a laser expert Prof Ishaaya contacted industry experts, and together they developed the Lahav or Light Blade defense system.
Together with Dr. Rami Aharoni and the backing of Border Police commander Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai, Ishaaya founded Opti Defense to develop the system, working on a shoe-string budget of just a few million shekels to develop a prototype within a year.
Last month, the team proved the efficacy of their system by downing explosive balloons traveling across the border from Gaza.
The system is being upgraded continuously as the threat has increased in recent days. The target is to deploy the system in different point along the border to get the optimal coverage. This system is another addition to other laser based systems being developed in Israel.
In recent months, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael were working hard to accelerate the development of a laser system that can shoot down rockets and mortar shells. But these development efforts are very limited, and no one says that the replacement for the Iron Dome is around the corner.
According to IAI, a prototype of a laser cannon for intercepting mortar shells and similar short-range threats is in a very advanced stage of development, and successful experiments have already been carried out.
In recent years, the defence industries in Israel and the United States have been working to develop a laser-based defence system, which is considered to be the one that will change the battlefield. A few years ago, Rafael presented the first models of a laser gun called an “iron beam.”
There are people in the US and Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who believe that laser guns have an advantage over missile-based defence systems, since its arsenal of ammunition never end, and the cost of launching a laser beam is very low compared to an Iron Dome interception missile that is estimated to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The issue became very alarming when a few months ago the Hamas terror group in Gaza launched 460 rockets into Israel, some in big salvos of 30- 40 rockets.
Israeli projects for developing these systems, partly in conjunction with US partners, were shut down in 2007, when it was decided to focus on the home-made Iron Dome. But after the last Gaza operation in 2014, Iron Dome became a “star”, mainly because of its high kill rate.
With recent developments – the capability to launch salvos of rockets from Gaza and the more dangerous threat – the 140.000 rockets accumulated by the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the laser again gained its place of honor, at this stage only in theory.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist
