(Adnkronos) – The Iron Beam, Israel’s new laser defense system, will be operational “within a year.” This was announced by the Director General of the Tel Aviv Ministry of Defense, Eyal Zamir, during the signing of a 494 million euro contract with Rafael and Elbit, leading companies in the Jewish state’s military-industrial complex.
As Haaretz points out, the Iron Beam is designed to work in tandem with other systems such as the Iron Dome and shoot down smaller flying objects such as drones. Drone attacks from Lebanon, which have increased in recent months, have so far proved to be the weak point of Israeli air defense systems.
The agreement between the Ministry and Rafael and Elbit “will significantly increase” the pace of production “in order to deliver the laser systems on time,” a note reads.
