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Israel launches Iron Beam laser weapon
Fox News senior national correspondent William La Jeunesse reports on Israel’s latest weapons innovation that is attracting the interest of countries around the world.
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Israel is not the most popular country in the world, except when it comes to military hardware. A country the size of New Jersey is now the eighth largest arms exporter in the world with a record $15 billion in sales by 2024.
Behind Britain but ahead of Turkey and South Korea in foreign arms sales, governments are flocking to Israel to buy battle-tested weapons, particularly missiles from its vaunted Iron Dome missile defense system.
Europe accounts for the majority of sales – Germany and Finland are the biggest, but India, Thailand and Greece are also buyers. Even Muslim-majority countries — Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — buy missiles, drones and cyber security systems from the Jewish state.
Record sales come as Israel presents its latest weapon. The Iron Beam is a laser capable of throwing incoming missiles, mortar rounds and drones up to 6 miles away for as little as $2 per interception. By contrast, interceptor missiles typically cost $100,000 to $1 million each.
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Rafael Lite Beam, Iron Beam -M (250) and Iron Beam (450) high-energy laser weapon systems are shown during Security Equipment International at London Excel on September 10, 2025, in London, England. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
“With the laser, the only cost is electricity,” says Yuval Steinitz, president of Rafael Defense Industries, maker of the Iron Beam. “It’s like between $1 and $2, less than the price of a hot dog in New York.”
Unlike conventional missile interceptors, fast as they are, they take time. A laser travels at the speed of light.
“We have already used it against UAVs launched by Hezbollah in the north and missiles from Iran. It works,” says Tel Aviv University professor Isaac Ben-David. “The most important advantage is, once it sees the target, it is intercepted at the speed of light. There is a fraction of a second, and the laser is already destroyed.”
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The Iron Beam is a laser capable of destroying incoming missiles, mortar rounds and drones up to six kilometers away. (Israel Ministry of Defense)
After decades of failed tests by many nations, Israel is the first country to use the weapon in war. One of those who oversaw the development was Professor Isaac Ben-David, former head of research and development in Israel’s Ministry of Defense.
Israel will deploy the first Iron Beam systems in the north, where Hezbollah rockets are fired south of Lebanon it takes less than a minute to cross the Israeli border. Applications will expand to include specific ships and air bases.
“This is just the beginning of a new era,” Steinitz said. “Over time, maybe five years, it will allow us to shoot down every hostile object in the air around Israel. It’s really a game changer.”
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Israel’s Iron Beam laser system targets and disables incoming missiles, mortar fire and drones at ranges of up to six kilometers. (Israel Ministry of Defense)
Rafael developed the technology with US-based Lockheed Martin and $1.2 billion from the Pentagon. Steinitz says the technology is already being shared with the U.S. military’s Direct Energy Program.
“We can’t do it without the United States,” he said. “But sometimes, in a collaboration, even the dwarf can contribute to the giant.”
