Israel Completes ‘Iron Beam’, Set to Deploy and Burn Rockets, Mortars & Drones at Near-Zero Cost

Instead of spending tens of thousands per Tamir interceptor (and far more for long-range shots), commanders can drain a volley for pocket change and keep the missiles for the next wave.

By Jewish Breaking News

Israel has finished developing its high-power laser interceptor and is moving to field it—integrating the new “Iron Beam,” renamed in Hebrew Or Eitan (Laser Dome), into the country’s multi-layer air-defense web.

The Ministry of Defense and Rafael say the system completed weeks of operational trials in the south, knocking down rockets, mortars, and drones; first batteries are slated for IDF delivery soon.

Officials call it a world first and a “historic milestone” for air defense.

Unlike missile interceptors that burn cash with every launch, the laser fires at near-zero marginal cost—Israeli outlets even framed it as “single-digit shekels” per shot—solving the attrition problem terrorists have tried to exploit with mass barrages.

The Defense Ministry stresses Iron Beam won’t replace Iron Dome, David’s Sling, or Arrow, but will strip out the cheap, short-range threats at light speed, preserving missiles for what truly demands them.

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Israel Completes ‘Laser Dome’, Set to Deploy and Burn Rockets, Mortars & Drones at Near-Zero Cost

Israel completes development of its Iron Beam laser—now Or Eitan (Laser Dome)—and moves to deploy the world’s first high-power operational air-defense laser. It kills rockets and… pic.twitter.com/lVdWzA1VLn

— Jewish Breaking News (@JBreakingNews) September 17, 2025

There’s symbolism baked in. The Hebrew name, Or Eitan (“Eitan’s Light”), honors Capt. Eitan Oster of the IDF’s Egoz unit, killed fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon; his father, a DDR&D engineer, was among the project’s initiators.

English branding will be Laser Dome, echoing Iron Dome’s global moniker. This isn’t vaporware: a lower-powered version already shot down dozens of Hezbollah UAVs over the north during the war, while the full-power ground system—100-kW-class directed energy—now exits development.

Inside the box: Rafael leads the system; Elbit manufactures the laser source. Trials proved stable beam control and rapid kills across scenarios.

The first units roll off Rafael’s lines for the Air Defense Array, joining the radar-battle management of Iron Dome so the network can decide in real time: laser or missile.

The roadmap includes a beefed-up Iron Beam 450, a mobile truck-mounted variant (Iron Beam M) for point defense, and a Lite Beam for armored units—plus a maritime version for the Navy.

Israel also locked in a ₪2 billion production expansion last year to accelerate manufacturing.

Precision matters: the laser is lethal to small rockets and UAVs, blunting Hamas and Hezbollah barrages and cutting the cost curve those Iran-backed groups count on.

Weather is the tradeoff—heavy cloud and dust degrade lasers—so the kinetic layers stay.

But the economics are transformative: instead of spending tens of thousands per Tamir interceptor (and far more for long-range shots), commanders can drain a volley for pocket change and keep the missiles for the next wave.

As Defense Minister Israel Katz put it, the capability puts Israel at the forefront of military tech and changes the threat equation.

What’s next: expect initial deployment within months, integrated command-and-control with Iron Dome, and a crawl-walk-run rollout along high-risk fronts.

With Gaza, Judea & Samaria, Lebanon, Syria, and the Red Sea all active, a cheap, deep magazine is not a luxury; it’s strategic oxygen.

And because terrorists adapt, Israel is already iterating—airborne and mobile lasers to follow—so the IDF can burn down the next threat family as it appears.