Israel successfully tested a laser defense system to repel drone, mortar and missile attacks last week. The laser system developed by Rafael and Elbit Systems is named Iron Beam which will be another layer of Israeli defense along with the Iron Dome missile system that has been used since 2011.
In a video shared by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the laser system successfully shot down a medium-sized drone, mortars and missiles. Israel developed the Iron Beam because the cost of each Iron Dome missile reached $150,000 (~RM637,000). Each laser "bullet" fired by Iron Beam according to Bennett is only $3.50 (~RM14.87).
The laser system was originally targeted to begin operations in 2024 but will begin patrolling Israel's border operations this year due to the growing risk of rocket attacks.
The use of drones in the battlefield is increasing with its effectiveness proven in the Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts. Just last week the flagship battleship Moskva sank after being hit by two Ukrainian missiles. There are reports that the ship's radar system was successfully diverted using a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone. This caused the defense system to fail to repel the missile.