Since the 1990s, the Jewish state has revolutionized anti-missile technology, most notably with the Iron Dome that protects its citizens from rocket onslaughts from the Gaza Strip. It has now, after a decade of work, made another stride in this realm, developing a system that uses lasers to shoot down rockets, guided anti-tank missiles, and similar weapons. Early this month, writes Anna Ahronheim, the Ministry of Defense announced its success in overcoming the problems that have until now stymied the efforts of scientists in Israel and elsewhere to develop such a system:
The breakthrough recently made by the ministry is based on the precision of the laser beam, which can be focused on long-range targets and which can overcome atmospheric disturbances such as clouds and dust storms. . . . [T]he ministry was able to take several laser beams and, with an advanced algorithm, connect them to get one strong beam that is able to intercept and take down a variety of threats. Based on high-energy electric lasers rather than chemical laser technology, the robust system will complement the other layers of Israel’s aerial defenses and will be a strategic change in the defense capabilities of the state, the ministry said.
According to Yaniv Rotem, [head of the Defense Ministry’s directorate of research and development], some of the advantages of the high-energy lasers include the ability to use the system continually at a lower cost and with higher effectiveness. [The lasers] will also decrease the number of missile interceptors necessary and make it possible to intercept a variety of threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and guided rockets. “During a war, missile interceptors will at one point run out, but with this system, as long as you have electricity, you have a never-ending supply,” he said.
“This is a weapon that you can’t see or hear,” Rotem said, adding that . . . the use of two different and complementary technologies—systems such as the Iron Dome and laser platforms—“is a game-changer.”
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israels-Defense-Ministry-announces-breakthrough-in-laser-technology-613568