High-power laser system intercepts airborne threats in Israeli test
NewsMay 30, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MOD), in collaboration with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, deployed high-power laser system prototypes during the ongoing Swords of Iron conflict, the company announced in a statement.
According to the statement, the directed energy systems were operated by IAF Aerial Defense Array personnel and achieved successful intercepts of multiple airborne threats, marking what the MOD says are the first laser-based interceptions conducted under actual combat conditions. The systems were developed under an accelerated program led by the MOD Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and Rafael.
The deployed systems are part of Rafael’s broader directed energy portfolio and serve as precursors to the company’s Iron Beam system, a higher-powered laser platform expected to be delivered to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later this year, the statement reads.
Operational experience gained during the conflict is being integrated into the next generation of laser systems under development, the company says, with the goal of expanding the role of laser-based defenses within Israel’s multi-layered air defense architecture
