Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett announced a major technological shift in its security when he said that the country’s will surround itself with a “laser wall”, a new way to intercept missiles.
Bennett was addressing a security conference on Tuesday where he said that Israel is speeding the rollout of laser technology to help protect it from rocket attacks. The “laser wall” will be unveiled within a year in southern Israel, he added.
The Israeli PM also acknowledged that its Iron Dome defence system is too expensive.
What is the ‘laser wall’ technology?
Little is known about the system’s effectiveness, but it is expected to be deployed on land, in the air and at sea and send a deterrent message to archenemy Iran and its proxies.
The lasers are designed to complement Israel’s multilayered defenses – which include the Iron Dome and other systems capable of intercepting long and medium-range missiles and drones.
“If it is possible to intercept a missile or rocket with just an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we will have nullified the ring of fire that Iran has set up on our borders,” Bennett said. “This new generation of air defense can also serve our friends in the region,” he added.
The test of the new system
Israel’s defence forces have been testing the ‘laser wall’ technology since June last year. It installed the powerful laser on an aircraft and it downed several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within a range of one kilometre. The ministry said that the system had a success rate of 100 per cent.
The Israeli government now wants to install a laser with a power of 100 kilowatts and a range of 20 kilometres.
What is the Iron Dome system?
It was unveiled by Israel a decade ago. The mobile missile interceptor system is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells.
The Iron Dome system has been constructed by top Israeli defense contractors Elisra Group, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
It uses some components made by US defense contractor Raytheon Co.
How does the Iron Dome system work?
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said that Iron Dome uses radar to identify and destroy incoming threats before they can cause damage.
The all-weather Iron Dome system consists of three parts – a radar, a control system and a launcher – all working in tandem. As soon as a rocket is fired, the radar system detects it and tracks the trajectory. The control system estimates the impact point and an integrated launcher fires missile to intercept it.
The Iron Dome system has an accuracy of 90 per cent, and since becoming operational in 2011, has shot down thousands of rockets fired from Gaza.
Though it is one of the most advanced defence systems in the world, the Iron Dome is proving to be costly, said Bennett.
‘Illogical equation’
The Israeli PM said that someone in Gaza can fire a rocket toward Israel for a few hundred dollars, but it costs tens of thousands of dollars to intercept it. He spoke from Israel’s recent experience: In May, Hamas fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel.
“That is an illogical equation,” Bennett said. “We decided to break this equation.”
The new laser system has been described as having the ability to address longer-range threats at high altitudes regardless of weather conditions.