Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday told news agencies that in recent tests, the country’s new air-defence system had successfully intercepted and destroyed a range of incoming projectiles - from mortars and missiles to drones. We’re talking of a new laser-based interception system, called ‘Iron Beam’. Gantz has said that the system would be operational soon, and will be deployed around Israel’s borders over the next decade. The new system is designed to complement a series of air-defence systems, such as the Iron Dome, already deployed by the country to defend against enemy mortars, anti-tank missiles and drones. So, what is so special about this system, when many other nations are also pursuing such technology and effective anti-missile defence systems also exist? The answer could lie in the cost of operation. Israel has repeatedly claimed that its Iron Dome defence system is a great success. It reportedly has a 90 per cent interception rate against incoming rockets. However, the system is expensive to deploy. According to a news agency, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said that someone in Gaza can fire a rocket towards Israel for just a few hundred dollars, it costs tens of thousands of dollars for the Iron Dome system to intercept that rocket. Bennett has claimed that the ‘Iron Beam’ is the “world’s first energy-based weapons system” that uses a laser to shoot down UAVs, rockets and mortars at a "cost of $3.50 per shot". At the current exchange rate, that amounts to Rs 267 Indian per shot.
It’s unclear how many ‘shots’ on target might be needed to bring, say an enemy UAV down, if it were hardened against energy weapons. But it is still a significant achievement. In most Indian metros, you can’t get a decent pizza for that amount. While sources differ on precise details, the Iron Beam is believed to have a maximum range of up to 7 kms and is capable of destroying missiles in around four seconds after its twin fibre-optic lasers make contact with their target. The Iron Dome uses Tamir interceptor missiles to bring down rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli targets. Those interceptor missiles cost big dollars. Instead, the new system can light up a target with laser beam for a fraction of what the Iron Dome costs.
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