Yoav Turgeman, the CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that the new laser missile defense system, "Iron Beam," will be operational and delivered to the IDF in 2025.
In January, Rafael's Chairman of the Board, Yuval Steinitz, reported that the system was first deployed in the Gaza Strip area following the start of the war and noted significant progress in its development. However, Steinitz refuted reports of its involvement in intercepting rockets.
The deployment of these systems, designed to combat short-range rockets and mortar shells with low per-shot costs (in contrast to the Iron Dome system, each launch of which costs tens of thousands of dollars), is expected to change the landscape of the rocket threat to Israel significantly.
