US, Israeli Defense Firms Pen Deal to Develop American Version of ‘Iron Beam’ Laser Defense System

Few details were given by the companies in a Monday bulletin announcing the deal, aside from that the US intends to use the technology in the same way Israel does: as point-defense against drones and certain munitions, such as mortars and anti-tank rounds.

"This strategic teaming agreement serves as a force multiplier for Rafael and the Israeli market. We are working to ensure our customers receive the most advanced, effective, and best in class systems. This agreement will expand and diversify the capabilities we can offer to a variety of customers," Rafael CEO and President Yoav Har-Even, a former IDF major-general, said in a news release.

"Over the last three decades, alongside the DDR&D [Israeli Directorate of Defense and Research Development] and the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Rafael has invested in laser research and development, resulting in Iron Beam and we expect to become the first operational laser defense system of its kind. This serves as a clear example of Israeli-made capabilities leading to strategic cooperation which will greatly benefit both sides."

Israeli Iron Dome

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Israel Defense Forces/Nehemiya Gershuni-Aylho / Israeli Iron Dome

The Iron Beam concept has been in development since 2014, although only in the last year has Rafael reported developing a weapon proven to be capable of downing incoming rounds. The weapon is intended to fit into Israel’s elaborate air defense nexus, although its reported range of 4.3 miles is still too short to serve as a substitute for the projectile-based Iron Dome system.

In June, then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the Iron Beam could be deployed before the year was out, but last month Rafael said it was still a prototype and would take 2-3 years before it could enter service.

The Pentagon has also been pushing ahead with directed-energy systems in recent years, including short-range air defense (SHORAD) systems capable of defending against drones. The drone-based attack on two Saudi oil fields in 2019, which was claimed by the Yemeni Houthi movement, forced the Pentagon to reconcile with its decades of focusing on ballistic missile defense at the expense of close-in anti-air systems.

US-Israeli cooperation on the Iron Beam is also notable since, as part of the above effort, Jerusalem notably refused to share essential operating code with the Pentagon for the Iron Dome system, which Washington looked into buying.