Israel successfully tested new high-powered laser weapon to shoot down drones

Israel on Monday presented a powerful laser weapon that it has successfully tested against drones and with technology that it could also be applied to neutralize rockets and other launches by terrorist groups in the Middle East.

During the test, a high power laser system was installed on an aircraft and tested in various scenarios with 100% efficiency, as confirmed at a press conference by Yaniv Rotem, Director of the Research and development of the Israeli ministry. of the defense. .

“We managed to intercept several unmanned aerial vehicles in the air, with a range of over a kilometer. This is a pioneering technological achievement and essential to the future development of our high power airborne laser system.», Underlined the brigadier general.

The ability to intercept and destroy aerial threats in the air is revolutionary and offers a strategic shift in Israel’s air defense capabilities, with a complementary system added to the Iron Dome, which has successfully neutralized the vast majority of rockets fired by Hamas in the recent military escalation.

In the demonstration shared by the authorities, we appreciate how the plane with the laser points at the drone, which begins to undergo combustion due to the high temperature and after a few seconds falls into the sea.

“Today we are approaching another important milestone in the development of the State of Israel’s multi-layered defense suite and it is significant in both cost effectiveness and defense capabilities. The laser system will add a new layer of protection at greater ranges and in the face of various threats – securing the State of Israel while saving the costs of interception, ”Defense Minister Benny Gantz said.

As explained, this method of aerial interception has many advantages, including low cost per interception, the ability to effectively intercept long-range threats at high altitudes, regardless of weather conditions, and the ability to defend vast areas. areas.

“The tests were successful due to a number of unique technological strengths. We believe that the use of a high-powered laser to perform low-cost aerial interception of hostile rockets and drones, closer to their launch zones and away from population centers, offers a significant change in the capabilities of defense of Israel.Said Oren Sabag, CEO of Elbit Systems ISTAR, which developed the new technologies with the Ministry of Defense and the Air Force.

The high-powered laser system will increase the effectiveness of air defense against current and future threats in the region, in addition to Honda’s Iron Dome and David and Arrow anti-missile systems.

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