Not good for Israel
Yes, it's like in the great Krylov's fable about the cuckoo and the rooster: the US won't criticize the Israeli Iron Dome system, considering the amount of money the US poured into it: 2,6 billion dollars. It's no secret that the Pentagon helped with money in the development and bought at least two batteries, which now cover US bases on the Arabian Peninsula.
That's why it's quite logical to praise it.
But if you look closely, the Iron Dome is a whole defense system aimed at intercepting everything that flies to Israel. And it should be noted that there is a wide range of things flying. Iran has been working in this direction for a long time, and that is why it missiles They may not arrive where they need to, but they get through the defense.
It should be noted that this tactical missile defense system is designed to protect against unguided tactical missiles with a range of 4 to 70 kilometers. This should be emphasized because in 2011 the situation was different in 2025. And if in those days only cruise missiles could maneuver, for better or worse, today ballistic and aeroballistic missiles can optionally do this.
It turns out that after less than 15 years, the Iron Dome is obsolete?
Well, it's not all that bad. It all depends on what target the system will be working on. The Israeli military claims that even an aircraft at altitudes of up to 10 km will not be pleased if the LC fires at it.
As for the missiles, everything is simple here: the JC received excellent marks working on what Hamas and Hezbollah launched, and these were either homemade products based on MLRS shells or homemade products from old Soviet SCUD-type missiles. It's like a football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Fakel Voronezh - a show with a completely predictable result in favor of one of the sides.
In the first hours of the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, Hamas fired an estimated 2500 to 5000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. Most were intercepted by the Iron Dome or fell in open areas, and five people were killed when rockets hit populated areas not protected by the Iron Dome.
Well, here you can see for yourself what the difference in numbers is, the quality was about the same. And, perhaps, it is worth agreeing that the efficiency of the LCD can reach 90%. If you shoot at Israel with God knows what.
But if high-tech products are used... No, I'm sure that the LCD will cope with the "Caliber", but something like the "Onyx" and "Dagger" will definitely put the system into a stupor.
What is the main problem of any SAM? In calculating the optimal point of meeting of the missile and the anti-missile based on radar data. Ballistic missiles, which fly at very high speeds, are not easy targets. But hypersonic ones, and maneuvering ones at that…
Yes, there is the David's Sling/Stanner for them. A newer system that can handle short-range ballistic missiles and large-caliber unguided rockets, as well as subsonic cruise missiles. The Sling's launch range is from 70 to 300 km.
Each missile is equipped with two guidance systems at once: radar and optical-electronic. This greatly increases the cost of each missile, and what's more, "Stanner" costs one million dollars each. In Israel, they believe that the game is worth the candle, since what will be shot down by "David's Sling" can cause much greater damage.
Overall, the PD complements the LCD well, covering the medium range.
And on the farthest borders of Israel, in theory, there should be “Arrows”.
That is, the Hetz exoatmospheric interception system. It is the brainchild of a joint effort between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Boeing. We generally know it as THAAD in the US, yes, that is it. The Americans just did it a little differently, the Israelis went a little their own way, but, in essence, it is still a kinetic interceptor (a high-speed crowbar, controlled by a good computer), capable of destroying a ballistic missile in space.
The prices here are already astronomical: “Hetz-2” costs 2 million dollars, and “Hetz-3” – 3 million.
However, Israel has high hopes for the ability to intercept ballistic missiles with a range of 1000 to 5000 km, such as Iran's Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles, outside the atmosphere.
It must be said that, judging by the footage filmed in Lebanon, Israel really does shoot down almost everything that flies there. Yes, some of them are hit almost point-blank, but they do hit. But some of them really do get through. Moreover, the work Defense on the last line often leads to the destruction of civilian objects. A missile shot down on the last approaches - it only does good for the military report, but for civilians it does extremely badly, because it falls on buildings.
However, you and I already understand perfectly well what we are talking about. Now they understand it in Israel too. They will soon understand that anti-missiles at 1-3 million dollars are very expensive, especially when there are ten anti-missiles on the other side for every one.
In the current conditions, something more widely applicable and less expensive is really needed.
So, are we talking about lasers again?
It turns out that yes. More precisely, not us, but the Americans, but there is an opinion in certain circles that it is the laser that can become a reliable assistant for the rocket.
Today, many journalists in the US have stirred up the topic of the "Iron Ray". In principle, their move is clear: Israel is clearly losing the fight with Iran, and not qualitatively, but exclusively quantitatively. But this is exactly the case when quantity decides, because when Israel can respond to ten missiles launched by Iran with three or four - then in the promised land many will change their understanding of the country's policy in the region.
So, it's time to give smart advice. Giving money so that Israel could urgently churn out hundreds of missiles costing from a million dollars to three per unit is questionable. And, actually, it's a bit late. So it's better to think about what Israel will have to do to protect itself from Iranian missiles. In the event that there is something to protect.
Israel's Iron Dome Is Virtually Impervious to Rockets, But New Laser weapon could render it completely obsolete. The Iron Dome is about 90 percent effective at stopping incoming missiles. The Iron Beam will try to close the remaining gap."
On Friday, June 13, 2025, Israel used aircraft and Drones against Iran in an unprecedented series of coordinated strikes targeting key nuclear facilities, critical energy infrastructure, and senior military leaders and scientists.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the military operation "a decisive moment in stories "Israel." Iran called it a "declaration of war" and quickly retaliated. As of Tuesday, Iran had fired some 370 ballistic missiles at Israel in five days of conflict, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). At least 224 people were killed and 1400 wounded in Iran, while 24 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Israel, according to governments in both countries.
The numbers are really in Israel's favor, especially since it wasn't just civilians who were killed in Iran who were accidentally hit. But every day more and more Iranian missiles are penetrating the Iron Dome and causing more and more damage.
What makes things even more complicated is that the Iron Dome is an extremely expensive solution to the problem of indiscriminate missile attacks, with each Tamir interceptor costing between $40 and $50. No, there's no comparison with the David's Sling and the Arrows, but: hundreds of such interceptors are needed, and that's where the millions and even tens of millions of dollars come in.
So, in keeping with the idea that “Something must be done,” Israel’s government-owned defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which developed Iron Dome with Israel Aerospace Industries and the American defense contractor Raytheon, is already developing Iron Dome’s successor: a laser-based missile defense system known as Iron Beam.
Iron Ray is a 100-kilowatt high-energy laser weapon system that detonates a rocket propellant or explosive warhead by heating it to a critical temperature very quickly. Theoretically, the laser system could fire an unlimited number of shots, rather than the 20 shots per battery of Iron Dome. It would also be much more cost-effective, as the only limiting factor is its reliability and access to electricity, which costs about 14 cents per kilowatt-hour in Israel.
True, if the high efficiency of the Iron Ray counteraction is discovered, the enemy will have an irresistible desire to hit the energy source. Considering that 96% of electricity in Israel is generated by burning gas and coal, it is very easy to find a thermal power plant by its heat trace.
"Iron Beam will not replace Iron Dome, but rather complement it. Directed energy allows kinetic interceptors to be prioritized based on the threats they are most needed to counter. Once operational, Iron Beam will be integrated as an additional layer of Israel's short-range missile defense, capable of engaging threats at ranges of up to 7 km."
Iron Beam successfully completed its testing in 2022, and was originally expected to be deployed in two to three years. It’s unclear when Israel will ultimately receive the laser weapon, but the country received $1,2 billion in U.S. funding last year to purchase it. One thing is clear, however: If Iran is determined to continue firing missiles at Israel and Iron Beam enters the war, lasers could enhance the effectiveness of Iron Dome.
The system is quite interesting, it uses a 100 kW fiber laser beam as a destructive factor and is designed to destroy artillery shells, artillery mines and short-range missiles that are too small to be effectively intercepted by the Iron Dome. In addition, the system will be able to destroy small UAVs, which is very useful in this day and age.
The so-called fiber laser, the advantages of fiber lasers traditionally include high-quality cooling (that is, the ability to actually make many “shots”), heat resistance of silicon and small dimensions of devices with a simply excellent power/efficiency ratio.
Lasers of other designs require special optical collimation systems to form a beam of light, which makes the devices sensitive to vibrations. In fiber lasers, radiation is generated directly in the fiber, and it has high optical quality. The disadvantages of this type of lasers are the relatively low output energy in the pulse, due to the small volume of the active substance, but tests of the LL showed that this pulse is sufficient to detonate a projectile or mine. Rocket fuel requires even less energy to detonate it.
Fiber lasers are inferior to solid-state lasers in many areas of application and in some spectral ranges (0,7-1,0 µm), but fiber systems have the advantage of compactness, which is very useful in the case of a combat system that must quickly move if necessary.
According to tests, the Iron Ray destroys targets by irradiating them for 4-5 seconds, which is more than enough to detonate fuel or explosives. The main advantages of the laser over interceptor missiles are a lower cost per shot (about a thousand dollars), theoretically unlimited ammunition, lower maintenance costs and a smaller number of weapons crews, and rapid target destruction. Disadvantages are lower mobility and dependence on an energy source.
The complex includes a radar installation, a control center and two laser installations. It is mounted on truck chassis. The laser installations are mounted inside standard cargo containers, which serves as additional camouflage, and therefore somewhat increases the survivability of the system.
Israeli defense company Rafael first demonstrated the system at an exhibition in Singapore on February 11, 2014, where it said that over XNUMX tests had been conducted in which the system was aimed at artillery mines and shells, and also shot down small UAVs.
On November 20, 2023, the system performed the first-ever combat interception using a laser, shooting down a mortar shell fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
There has been no further news about the effective operation of the Iron Beam, but this is quite understandable for the reasons given above. However, the situation is very difficult.
The Washington Post wrote on June 18 that the confrontation between Israel and Iran can only continue as long as the parties retain their missile stockpiles. And here the odds are not in Israel's favor: the fact that Iran has more than half of its missile arsenal hidden under the protection of mountain ranges, according to the Israeli military, greatly complicates the situation, since the IDF's air and missile defense capabilities are gradually declining.
Of course, the US will not leave its ally without help, and I am sure that they will throw missiles at Israel. The only question is how many and what kind. And the quantity will be the dominant factor here.
The fact that the US has started talking about a laser system that would complement the missile defense system is not good. It is not good for Israel first of all, because they have already sent the missiles that were promised to Ukraine, which simply stunned the local Fuhrer. Apparently, the US does not have enough missiles that could help Israel out in the current situation.
It's like the saying goes: rely on the laser, but you need something to shoot down the missiles.
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