Tel Aviv: Following the announcement of successful intercepts using Rafael’s laser systems during the current conflict, Israeli company Rafael will present its newly developed IRON BEAM laser director alongside its full family of High-Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS) at the Paris Air Show 2025.
Rafael will officially unveil its breakthrough HELWS family—developed in collaboration with the Directorate of Defence R&D (MAFAT) at the Israeli Ministry of Defence. This announcement comes just days after it was revealed that during the “Iron Swords” war, MAFAT, the Israeli Air Force, and Rafael led an accelerated development program to operationalise laser-based interception systems, which successfully neutralised dozens of enemy aerial threats in combat conditions.
Rafael’s export-configured HELWS family, composed of three distinct systems, is built on decades of technological innovation within Rafael and MAFAT. These systems add a critical layer to Israel’s air defence architecture, alongside the IRON BEAM system currently under development and slated for delivery to the IDF this year.
At the centre of Rafael’s exhibit in Paris will be the IRON BEAM 450—the upgraded laser director for IRON BEAM, widely considered the most advanced high-energy laser air defence system in the world. After demonstrating live intercepts in 2022, IRON BEAM is now on track for operational delivery to the Israeli defence establishment by the end of 2025. The system is led by Rafael and developed in cooperation with MAFAT and additional Israeli defence industries including Shafir, SCD, and Elbit Systems.
The new laser director enhances IRON BEAM’s operational range, accuracy, and efficiency, significantly advancing the system’s performance. These upgrades enable longer-range interceptions, faster engagement cycles, and even more precise targeting—while maintaining its unique advantages: speed-of-light threat neutralisation, negligible per-intercept cost, and wide-area defence against rapid and complex aerial threats.
Rafael’s unique adaptive optics technology, developed over more than a decade of laser research, enables the system to maintain beam focus on a coin-sized target from 10 kilometres away. This capability dramatically reduces interception costs and ensures effective integration into Israel’s multilayered air defence array.
Dr Yuval Steinitz, Chairman of Rafael said that during the current war, Rafael’s air defence systems faced an unprecedented number of threats—tens of thousands of projectiles launched from seven different fronts.
”IRON BEAM and the entire HELWS family will be integrated into the national air defence array, significantly enhancing its effectiveness.”
Yoav Tourgeman, President and CEO of Rafael said that the company’s
HELWS systems are based on a scientific breakthrough in adaptive optics and represent the result of years of intense development by Rafael’s scientists and engineers, in close partnership with the Ministry of Defence’s R&D Directorate. These systems combine high precision and rapid response with exceptionally low interception costs. Rafael remains committed to innovation in the service of Israel’s security.”
Rafael’s HELWS family offers an additional layer to air and force protection, providing scalable, effective laser-based solutions for a wide array of airborne threats.
The systems include:
IRON BEAM – 450 Laser Director: With the upgraded director, IRON BEAM now delivers longer range, higher accuracy, and faster engagement—all while maintaining its operational edge: instant neutralisation of aerial threats at minimal operational cost. This enhanced performance enables wide-area coverage, improved interception of high-velocity threats, and robust performance in complex scenarios. IRON BEAM is setting a new global benchmark in laser air defence capabilities.
IRON BEAM M – 250 Laser Director (Mobile Tactical Configuration): A compact, mobile HELWS solution designed for manoeuvring ground forces and strategic site protection. IRON BEAM M is easily deployable and offers precise, cost-effective laser interception for forward-deployed units.
LITE BEAM – Tactical 10kW Laser System: A lightweight, mobile HELWS platform delivering tactical laser-based protection for mobile units. LITE BEAM provides fast-reacting, cost-efficient defence in a compact form.
-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
