Hyderabad: With the recent drone and ballistic missiles by Iran exposing Israel's traditional air defence system, the country is now working to develop a new laser air defence system, "Iron Beam", AFP reported.
The report quoting Israel's defence ministry said that on Monday, the ministry has earmarked $530 million to accelerate development of the laser air defence system known as
"The Ministry of Defence has signed a major deal worth approximately 2 billion shekels to significantly expand procurement of the laser interception systems, 'Iron Beam,” the report quoted a statement as saying.
What Is Iron Beam?
According to the AFP report, the Iron Beam system is aimed at improving the interception of drones and other projectiles, which Hezbollah in Lebanon has fired at Israel since the start of the war in Gaza in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas.
Iron Beam is believed to supplement other aerial defence capacities such as the more well-known Iron Dome which have been unable to intercept every projectile launched by the Lebanese armed group, resulting in both civilian and military casualties.
According to reports, the upcoming air defence system developed by Rafael, Israel's national defence research and development arm and Elbit, looks a lot like weapons we’ve seen in science fiction movies like Star Wars and Star Trek. This innovative system was showcased at the Singapore Airshow on February 11, 2014. It is now in focus due to the potential of its deployment in response to the ongoing conflict with Hamas. Defence company Elbit said in a separate statement the ministry granted it a contract worth about $200 million specifically to develop Iron Beam.
In late September, Israel said it had received a new US military aid package worth $8.7 billion, at a time when it is at war with both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel's Defence Ministry director general Eyal Zamir was quoted by AFP, as saying he hoped the new system would "enter operational service within a year".
On April 14th 2022, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that its developed laser air defense system had effectively intercepted drones, rockets, mortars, and anti-tank missiles during its initial series of tests.
Key Features
An Essential Addition: The Iron Beam, as per reports, is set to become the sixth element of Israel's integrated missile defense system, joining Arrow 2, Arrow 3, David's Sling, and the Iron Dome.
Fiber Laser Power: The Iron Beam utilises a fiber laser to eliminate airborne threats, offering a cost-effective and efficient solution.
Versatile Deployment: This system can function as a stand-alone defense mechanism or be integrated into a broader air defense system
Advantages of Directed Energy: Compared to traditional missile interceptors, the Iron Beam offers lower costs per shot, unlimited firing capacity, reduced operational expenses, and eliminates the risk of interceptor debris falling on protected areas.
Enhanced Range and Capability: In 2020, the system demonstrated an impressive effective range of up to 7 km, capable of swiftly neutralising missiles, UAVs, and mortar shells within seconds of target engagement. Furthermore, there are plans to increase energy levels, potentially reaching 100 kW or more by 2023.
Deploying Iron Beam in Response to Conflict : If the Iron Beam is used in active combat service it will be a critical move by Israel to fortify its air defense in the midst of ongoing conflict with Hamas. Hezbollah and Iran. Originally, the new technology was not scheduled for service deployment for several more years.
Israel Efforts to speed up procurement : The Israeli Ministry of Defence has signed a major deal worth approximately 2 billion shekels to significantly expand procurement of the laser interception systems, ‘Iron Beam,’,"They have earmarked $530 million to accelerate the development of the laser air defence system known as “Iron Beam".
Defence company Elbit said in a separate statement the ministry granted it a contract worth about $200 million specifically to develop Iron Beam.
Time period for operation of Iron Beam system : Israeli Defence ministry has said that, It will be operational within a year.
Israel's Quest For A Laser Shield
According to reports, the use of lasers to intercept rockets was first researched in the 1990s, but Israel abandoned the idea by 2000.
Following the second Lebanon War, efforts to create a system for intercepting short- and medium-range rockets and missiles were restarted in 2006, eventually leading to the development of the ‘Iron Dome’ system a few years later.
In 2019, a breakthrough finally allowed Israel to resume the development of a laser-based device that would be far less expensive than Iron Dome. However, instead of the chemical lasers used in earlier tests, Israel used electrical lasers this time.
In 2021, Elbit’s laser system was integrated into an aircraft and demonstrated its capabilities, paving the way for Israel to develop a ground system and expedite its rollout for next year.
The weapon system would utilize lasers to superheat incoming drones or the types of missiles used by Iran-backed Houthi militia. A prototype of this system would be operational by 2025, Israeli defense officials claimed in 2021.
In June 2021, Israel completed the first test of the aerial laser system, which effectively killed multiple drones, in what Defense Minister Benny Gantz had hailed as a significant “technical breakthrough”.
Cost Effective
A single interceptor missile fired from the Iron Dome system can cost between $40,000 to $50,000. In contrast, Israel has stated that achieving a similar interception using the Iron Beam system could cost as little as $2.
Israel’s Iron Dome Defence systems have been a great success with a 90% Rocket Interception rate.
But the Iron Dome system is expensive to deploy and costs thousands of dollars to intercept one rocket. Israel has already developed or deployed a series of systems meant to intercept long range missiles and rockets.
Israeli PM Naftali Bennett said that the IRON Beam's interceptions are silent and invisible and only cost around $3.50 a Piece.
Laser-based interception is silent and invisible, and the cost is less than 10 shekels (about $3.50) per interception, in contrast to the Iron Dome, which costs about 170,000 shekels ($49,000) per interception and makes noise on launch.
The only laser-based military system that has been deployed anywhere in the world is one used on American ships, but it is only effective on relatively easy targets, such as rubber dinghies, and at short ranges.
Directed Energy Weapons
DEWs are weapons that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy. There are mainly two types of DEWs: high powered lasers and microwaves. DEWs are anti-personnel as they can cause intolerable burning of an area in the body and blindness, and anti-material as it can be used to destroy missiles, ships, UAVs and fry circuitry of equipment deployed in a battlefield.
The demand for DEWs is surging globally with the value of DEWs having reached $4.1bn in 2020. The US is leading in the development of DEWs globally with a market share of 41.6%, followed by China, France, Germany, and the UK.
The US doubled its military expenditure on DEWs from $535m in fiscal year 2017 (FY17) to $1.1bn in FY19. The increase in investment in DEWs is expected to continue globally over the next decade. The cost per shot of a laser weapon is estimated to be $1, according to the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the US Navy. One of the earliest known uses of operational directed-energy weapons occurred during the Iraq War. Electromagnetic weapons using high-power microwaves were used by U.S. forces to destroy or disable Iraqi electronics.
Advantages
According to the US think tank, Lexington Institute, "Directed-energy weapons have several advantages over conventional munitions. They transmit lethal force at the speed of light (about 300,000 kilometers per second). Their beams are not affected by the constraining effects of gravity or atmospheric drag. They are extremely precise. Their effects can be tailored by varying the type and intensity of energy delivered against targets."
Disadvantages
The Iron Beam cannot operate effectively in wet conditions. Even in optimum conditions, the laser loses 30 to 40 percent of its potential energy to atmospheric moisture before hitting the target.
The Iron Beam requires a direct line of sight between the system and its target, making its placement far more critical, unlike Iron Dome.
The Iron Beam also has a much slower rate of fire, requiring five seconds or so to transmit sufficient energy to destroy its target.
High-power laser weapons are difficult to develop, a notable problem being provision of adequate power to the system.
Challenges include “developing a cooling mechanism for the system that heats up when the laser beam is fired, ensuring a focused beam towards a distant target and optoelectronics, or optronics, involving lenses to create that focus..."
Countries And Quest For Laser Weapon Systems
USA: Since its invention in 1960, LASER, or light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, has had high global appeal as a weapon. Substantial research has been undertaken by the major powers, with the first space-based x-ray laser anti-ballistic missile weapon system conceptualised by the United States (US) during the Cold War. Codenamed Project Excalibur, the project was shelved in 1992 due to funding issues and disintegration of the Soviet Union.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) project, aka "Star Wars", in the 1980s. This system, while never developed, envisaged using space-based lasers or concentrated X-rays to prematurely detonate intercontinental ballistic missiles in flight.
The U.S. Army has finished testing its new Directed Energy-Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD). Although designed as an anti-drone weapon, DE M-SHORAD is also capable of intercepting rockets, artillery shells, and mortars.
The U.S. Navy demonstrated their Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) against an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Mounted on board the USS Portland (LPD-27), this solid-state laser weapon was able to down a UAV.
In January, 2021 US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin delivered the first unit of its High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) laser system to the US Navy. The HELIOS has power in excess of 60 KW and is used primarily to damage smaller surface ships and drones. However, according to reports, upgrades to HELIOS with increased power would enable the system to target anti-ship missiles fired at ships.
Russia: Russia has also apparently experimented with a laser weapon system called Peresvet, its capabilities are not known.
China: In 2006, China had allegedly illuminated and blinded a US satellite. Reports also suggest that China possesses giant laser weapons to cripple and blind the US satellites. China is also claimed to have deployed laser weapons systems, but apparently these are lower energy systems effective against low, slow and small targets.
India: India already has the vision for laser weapons as well as the scientific talent to absorb and build on the technology. Two dedicated Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories — Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) and Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC) — have been working on developing laser weapons technology for the last few years.
The defence ministry’s 2013 Technology Perspective & Capability Roadmap document pointed at a key requirement of electromagnetic pulse weapon (microwave weapon) for countering missiles fired at ships, tanks and aircraft.
In 2017, August DRDO tested a 1KW laser weapon mounted on a truck at a test facility in Chitradurga. The laser hit a target 250m away. The laser test was conducted in the presence of then defence minister Arun Jaitley. The source of the laser, which is the “heart of the system”, was imported from Germany. The weapon is not ready yet and it will take years for it to happen, said one official.
The DURGA Project
The existence of a DURGA project has been reported for around two decades now, dating back to the early 2000s
A study by Indian Air Force officer K.K. Nair published by the United Service Institution of India (USI) in 2008 referred to the Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array (DURGA), and noted there was little progress in the project.
Defense News reported the DRDO has sought $100 million from the ministry of defence to develop a high-power laser weapon.
The classified project, dubbed DURGA II (Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array), will see the Indian Army receive the 100-kilowatt, lightweight directed-energy system, a service official told Defense News. A senior DRDO scientist said on condition of anonymity that the DURGA II program is currently in the concept stage.
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