In the near future, Israeli-manufactured dedicated laser air defense systems for the local protection of key sites could be taking part in the response to enemy drone attacks.
Tal Inbar, a senior research fellow at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance and an expert on missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and space capabilities, told JNS, in the aftermath of the recent Houthi attack on Ramon Airport in southern Israel, that local area defense laser cannons have a role to play, as part of a multi-layered defense system.
“The biggest challenge with the UAV issue is detection, identification and classification,” Inbar stated. “Once an attacking vehicle has been identified as hostile, the probability of shooting it down is very high.”
Inbar explained that while the ideal scenario is to intercept threats far from Israeli territory using aircraft (fighter jets and helicopters), and ground-based, guided anti-aircraft guns, or missile interceptors like Iron Dome, there is also a clear role for dedicated systems to protect high-value sites as a final backstop.
“There is no fundamental problem with placing dedicated systems for the defense of important facilities, even those located in an urban environment—as a last resort for interception,” he said.
“Laser systems are distinguished by their power, which depends on their output. Smaller systems are more suitable for ‘point [localized] defense,’ while systems with much higher power can provide a more significant defensive shield,” Inbar explained.
The drone attack by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Israel’s Ramon Airport on Sept. 7 highlighted the challenge of correctly classifying the threat of low-flying, long-range enemy UAVs.
The incident occurred after a Houthi drone struck the airport area after being detected by Israel’s air defense system, but mistakenly not classified as hostile, according to an Israeli Air Force after-action review.
“The UAV was detected by the IAF systems but was not classified as a hostile UAV, and accordingly, the interception and alert systems were not activated. There is no indication of a technical malfunction in the existing detection systems,” the Israel Defense Forces stated after the incident.
This failure of classification, not interception, is what allowed the Houthi drone to reach its target, highlighting the critical need not just to see the threat but to recognize it, sometimes in crowded skies, in a matter of seconds.
Israel possesses a multi-layered and highly effective air defense array, which has intercepted the large majority of UAVs fired by Iran and its proxies at Israel over the past two years.
More than 99% of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) fired by Iran during the June war with Israel were intercepted successfully, according to figures by the Defense Ministry.
Meanwhile, Israel is due to receive its first fully operational Iron Beam laser defense systems by the end of this year, which are made by Rafael.
In a major announcement on May 28, the Defense Ministry revealed that the Israeli Air Force had carried out the first successful battlefield interceptions with high-power laser weapons that belong to a smaller laser system in the same laser family.
That smaller system carried out over 40 real operational interceptions performed during the war.
Daniel Gold, head of the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), stated in late May that the larger Iron Beam system is in the final stages of development and would be delivered by the end of the year.
A separate initiative by Elbit and the Defense Ministry is aimed at developing an airborne laser positioned on a large drone to fire on targets, like rockets and enemy UAVs, from above.
The Iron Beam, designed to complement the Iron Dome, is expected to use a 100-kilowatt laser to intercept rockets, mortars, and UAVs at a range of up to 10 kilometers. Its primary advantage is its cost-effectiveness—an estimated $5 per interception, essentially the cost of the electricity required to fire it.
This is a game-changing consideration when compared to the high cost of kinetic interceptors (Iron Dome’s Tamir interceptor is estimated at around $50,000 per shot).
However, defense officials have stressed, lasers are a complementary capability, not a replacement. Their shorter range and ability to focus on one threat at a time mean they are best suited for layered defense.
A dedicated laser weapon, positioned near a strategic site such as an airport or military base, could therefore provide the final interception opportunity to destroy the incoming drone, if previous attempts fail.
