Energy evolution: How laser defence systems are powering the next phase of air defence (podcast)

Brought to you in partnership with Rafael

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For the first time in history, high-energy laser (HEL) systems have been used in combat to intercept enemy threats, marking a transformative milestone in the evolution of directed energy weapons.

During the ongoing Gaza conflict, prototypes developed by Rafael and deployed by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) successfully neutralised multiple aerial targets – turning what was once a promising future capability into battlefield reality.

Indeed, high-energy laser (HEL) systems are emerging as a pivotal layer in modern air defence strategies. As threats grow more agile, diverse and frequent – from swarming UAVs to short-range rockets – militaries are increasingly turning to cost-effective, sustainable methods of interception.

HEL technology now offers high-capacity, low-cost engagement options that enhance traditional defences and reduce dependence on finite missile inventories.

Among the companies advancing this capability is Rafael, which has made HEL systems a key strategic focus within its broader layered defence portfolio.

The Israel-based company will showcase three major HEL solutions at the Paris Air Show in June: LITE BEAM, a mobile 10kW-class system designed to neutralise low-altitude aerial threats; IRON BEAM, a 100kW-class laser capable of engaging a broad range of targets; and Mobile IRON BEAM, a portable 50kW variant.

Gideon Weiss, Rafael’s vice president of business development and marketing, said these advances must be understood within the broader context of global security trends.

Conflicts in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and tensions between India and Pakistan are all shaping the requirements for rapid, cost-efficient air defence solutions – areas where Rafael has applied decades of operational experience.

Low-cost alternative

All of these environments have seen growing threats from uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), some of them coming in swarms, along with proliferating dangers from rockets of various types. Weiss noted that cost demands alone mean that defending against these ever-evolving threats cannot simply rely on classic air defence and interceptors.

This is well illustrated by the challenges Israel has faced since 7 October 2023, with the country enduring many thousands of rocket attacks from both Gaza and Lebanon. Addressing these with kinetic means has two major problems, Weiss noted.

First is the “economy of interception – when you deploy an interceptor, it’s a missile, and a missile is always expensive”, he noted.

“But an interception by a laser system is magazine-free. It’s always abundant, and you can shoot as many times as you want. The cost of interception is just the cost of electricity and ongoing maintenance.”

Second, Weiss noted that using kinetic interceptors like missiles creates more debris, a crucial concern when defending a well-populated or strategic area.

“Even if you shoot all of [the rockets] out of the sky, you would still have a lot of debris coming down.” Again, HEL systems substantially mitigate this concern.

These advantages were brought into stark relief during the Gaza conflict, where Rafael’s laser prototypes intercepted enemy threats in operational settings – a breakthrough confirmed by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and IAF.

“Israel is the first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system – and to execute actual combat interceptions,” said Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Chairman of Rafael. “Rafael’s Iron Beam system will undoubtedly be a game-changer with an unprecedented impact on the modern battlefield.”

A long history

Lasers are not a new technology; indeed, they were first invented in 1960, noted Dr R, a Senior Systems Engineer in laser systems in Rafael’s Land and Naval Systems Division. Since that point, developers have investigated multiple applications, from medical surgery to laser shows, as well as military applications.

However, these developers soon established an empirical rule, Dr R explained.

The attitude then was, “If you can do it without lasers, do it without lasers, which means that lasers could almost never replace the existing technologies”.

However, lasers have carved out a place as an enabling technology for new, novel applications over time. This was most obvious in material processing: lasers did not remove the conventional machinery, but enabled new applications that rely on a precision material quality that cannot be achieved without laser capability.

IRON BEAM is a 100kW class High Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) that engages and neutralises a wide array of threats from a range of hundreds of meters to several kilometers. (Photo: Rafael)

Dr R said that the evolution of military applications is closely connected to the development of material processing.

“If you can cut a metal at a centimetre distance, you can probably cut it at a kilometre’s distance as well,” he said. “If you have a threat, a ballistic missile, you can hit it with a laser, cut through to the explosive and heat it up, and eventually, the threat will explode.”

There are two major challenges, he said. The first is to get the laser power high enough to be effective at long ranges: this has been addressed by combining multiple individual lasers, meaning they are synchronised to strike the same point on the target through ‘coherent beam combining’.

The second challenge is atmospheric turbulence, similar to that experienced by aeroplanes when they are impacted by pockets of air with different densities; the same thing happens on a small scale, making the light beam bounce back and forth and distorting its shape and position. This limits the effective range for laser propagation.

Again, coherent combination of single beams addresses the problem, he said. “We can get to ranges far beyond what is available without that technology. And when we can get to a long enough range, the system becomes much more cost effective.’

Integrated approach

Rafael has been developing HEL since the mid-1990s, noted Weiss; he participated in fielding one of the first experimental systems to the IDF in 2006, he said, including the training and qualification of soldiers and officers.

Over the following two decades, substantial investments in technology and significant advances have been made. Rafael is now preparing to hand over the systems to operators on a wide scale, with fielding planned for the IDF in the latter part of 2025.

Weiss said it is important to take an agnostic approach to development with Rafael’s HEL systems capable of integrating with any platform or C2 system. This is vital in a multilayered defence landscape, where international collaboration is key.

“They usually would not be used as a single effector, but in a cohesive environment while integrated with other air defence systems,” he explained.

It’s no longer the case that ‘if you want to do something, do it without lasers’, Weiss concluded.

“Lasers are no longer part of the future. They are part of us; they are today. They are available, and we know how to [develop] and field them into the battlefield.”

The operational deployment and successful field use during wartime reinforces that statement. Rafael CEO Yoav Tourgeman described the move as a “monumental operational and technological accomplishment” that will “fundamentally change the defence equation.”

Visit Rafael at the Paris Air Show – Hall 3, Stand A64 – to see the future of air defence in action. Discover how high-energy laser technology is redefining interception. READ MORE

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