Israel’s laser defense system – known as Iron Beam – has been operational since 2024 as a ground-based solution to protect the country against aerial drone, missile and mortar attacks. Developed by Israeli defense companies Elbit Systems and Rafael, the 100-kilowatt high-energy laser (HEL) system has made its first operational interceptions during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and as proof that this technology works, Ukraine is also testing a similar laser to shoot down drones in its war with Russia. Today, this technology is about to take another step forward, with the CEO of Elbit Systems saying during the annual results presentation that the company had won a contract to implement the laser system on various aerial platforms.
The company demonstrated the successful deployment of the technology during a test in 2021, where it was integrated into a single-engine Cessna turboprop aircraft and intercepted several drones during testing. In its current form, the Iron Beam system is integrated into container-sized mobile units. In current conflicts, the deployment of cheaply manufactured, and sometimes improvised, drones has increased exponentially, and neutralizing these highly precise drones is becoming very costly. The main selling point of this technology is its low cost compared to traditional air defense systems that use high-velocity missiles and cannons.
How Airborne Lasers Destroy Drones
Rafael and Elbit marketed the idea that the Iron Beam HEL system could be integrated into F-15 fighter jets and UH-60 helicopters, where it could better intercept drones and even provide self-protection to aircraft to intercept incoming rockets and missiles. Integrating the Iron Beam laser on an aircraft not only increases the laser’s effective range and reduces power requirements to achieve comparable damage compared to ground-based units, but it also improves its effectiveness by eliminating ground-based issues.
One of the main problems with a ground-based laser system is atmospheric interference: the effect of air temperature and density on larger aperture lasers, making the weapon less effective. Instead of using one large laser, Iron Beam uses hundreds of coin-sized laser beams directed by a thermal targeting system. Smaller beams are much less prone to dispersion, and the system uses this to its advantage. As each beam moves in the direction of the target, the system looks for positive impacts and, within seconds, it can redirect all other smaller beams to converge on the area where the first impact was observed, thereby concentrating the energy and destroying the target.
High-powered lasers are not only used on the ground and in the air, but also at sea. The US Navy tested Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS system aboard the USS Preble, and the UK’s Royal Navy recently announced a deal that will equip each of its Type 45 destroyers with an advanced laser weapon called DragonFire.
Development of airborne laser weapons in the United States
Even though Iron Beam became operational in 2024, the United States has been developing its own versions of high-powered airborne laser weapons for some time, the most famous example being the Boeing YAL-1 flying testbed. The modified Boeing 747-400 was equipped with a megawatt-class oxygen-iodine chemical laser, primarily intended to intercept tactical ballistic missiles. The laser was first tested in 2007 and successfully intercepted and destroyed two test missiles in 2010. The extremely high cost of the aircraft and its laser ultimately led to a funding cutoff, leading to the program’s cancellation.
The Air Force had also continued the Advanced Self-Protection High Energy Laser Demonstration (SHiELD) technology program, focused on delivering high-power laser weapons on the ground and in the air. However, after several tests, the program was stopped without achieving its operational deployment objective. Since 2026, the latest US efforts to provide such a weapon have centered on the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The recently revealed F-47 next-generation fighter is expected to feature a high-powered defensive laser, designed to destroy incoming missiles. The F-47 is expected to feature an engine that delivers far more electrical power than current generation engines, producing several hundred kilowatts, which will be critical to the success of the laser weapons system.
