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Rafael Delivers Israel’s First Operational Iron Beam Laser Shield to Revolutionize Air Defense Era.
Israel has formally fielded its first operational Iron Beam high-power laser air defense system, transferring the capability to the Israeli Air Force in late December 2025. The move adds a laser-based interceptor to Israel’s layered air defense architecture, aimed at countering rockets, mortars, and unmanned threats at lower cost per engagement.
On December 28, 2025, Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced the delivery of the first operational Iron Beam high-power laser air defense system, designated in Hebrew as “Or Eitan”, to the Israel Defense Forces. The transfer, which followed a formal ceremony at Rafael’s headquarters in northern Israel, was communicated through official statements by Rafael, the Ministry of Defense and the IDF. Iron Beam has now moved from a long development and testing phase into service within the Israeli Air Force’s air and missile defense structure. In a global context where short-range rockets, mortars and unmanned systems are central elements of contemporary threats, the introduction of a high-power laser interceptor as an operational layer is presented by Israeli authorities as a significant step in the evolution of layered air defense.
Israel has fielded its first operational Iron Beam high-power laser air defense system, adding a cost-effective directed-energy layer to the country’s existing missile and rocket interception network (Picture Source: Israeli MoD)
Iron Beam is described by its developer and by the Ministry of Defense as a high-energy laser system designed to counter a range of aerial threats, including rockets, mortar bombs and unmanned aerial vehicles, with the ability to engage additional categories of targets depending on operational conditions. The system combines an advanced laser source with a dedicated electro-optical targeting and tracking suite, enabling the acquisition and engagement of targets at extended ranges with high precision and what is characterized as very high efficiency. A key point repeatedly emphasized in the official communications is the negligible marginal cost of each interception once the system is deployed, since the “interceptor” is an energy beam rather than a manufactured missile. Iron Beam is to be integrated into the Israeli Air Force and incorporated into Israel’s multi-layered air defense array as a complementary capability alongside Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow systems, rather than as a replacement for existing missile-based interceptors.
The program has been led on the government side by the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), through its dedicated research and development unit, with Rafael acting as prime contractor. Elbit Systems provides the laser source, while other Israeli defense companies, including SCD and Shafir Systems, contribute key subsystems, illustrating a domestic industrial ecosystem built around high-energy lasers, advanced electro-optics and precision control technologies. According to Rafael and the Ministry of Defense, the system’s readiness follows an extensive series of tests in which Iron Beam conducted successful interceptions of rockets, mortars and unmanned platforms in scenarios designed to replicate operational conditions. Senior officials underline that the handover of this first unit marks the completion of an initial development phase and the beginning of serial manufacturing, with multiple additional systems reported to be already in production for future deployment on land and in the air domain.
The delivery was marked by an official ceremony at the manufacturer’s headquarters, described by officials as a milestone marking the first time a high-power laser interception system has reached full operational maturity and entered regular service. Military authorities indicated that the system is intended to complement existing air-defense assets that have demonstrated their effectiveness in recent years. The ceremony also included a symbolic element linked to the system’s name, highlighting its commemorative dimension alongside its technological and operational significance.
The advantages attributed to Iron Beam are closely linked to its cost structure, rate of fire and potential magazine depth. Official statements highlight that, unlike missile-based interceptors whose use is constrained by finite stocks and significant per-shot costs, a high-energy laser can in principle conduct repeated engagements as long as sufficient electrical power, cooling capacity and line-of-sight to the target are available. In a scenario of intense or prolonged short-range rocket and drone activity, such characteristics are intended to allow a portion of incoming threats to be handled by the laser layer, while conserving missile interceptors for targets, altitudes or geometries that fall outside the laser’s effective envelope. This concept, as presented by the Ministry of Defense, is expected to improve the overall “equation” between the cost of interception and the cost posed by the threat, and to enhance the resilience of the broader air defense architecture against sustained pressure.
Israeli authorities explicitly frame Iron Beam as part of an effort to maintain the country’s qualitative military and technological edge. The head of DDR&D and other officials refer to the system as the beginning of a “technological revolution” in air and missile defense and indicate that parallel work is already under way on next-generation laser defenses for additional environments and platforms. Rafael’s leadership describes December 28, 2025 as the start of what they term the “era” of high-energy laser defense, noting that Israel is, according to their assessment, the first state to field such a system as an operational element within an integrated air defense network. Neither the Ministry of Defense nor Rafael have disclosed contract values, planned fleet size or detailed budget figures, but the repeated emphasis on low marginal cost and on the transition from development to serial production suggests that the economic rationale of the program rests on long-term savings and on the ability to sustain defense against high-volume threats without incurring unsustainable interceptor expenditure.
The official transfer of Iron Beam, or Or Eitan, to the IDF, as reported by the Ministry of Defense, the IDF and Rafael, marks an important moment in the incorporation of directed-energy weapons into operational air defense. The system’s technical characteristics, its integration into a multi-layered architecture and the industrial cooperation that underpins it make this first delivered unit both a new operational asset and a test case for the broader role of high-power lasers in future defense concepts. Observers in the defense community will now follow how Iron Beam performs under operational conditions, how it interacts with existing missile-based layers over time, and how its deployment influences doctrinal, industrial and procurement choices related to air and missile defense in Israel and beyond.