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Israel Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Iron Beam
An Israeli directed-energy air-defense system using a high-power laser to intercept rockets, mortars, artillery shells and drones at short range. Designed to complement Iron Dome by offering a near-zero marginal cost per intercept, it reached initial operational status with the Israeli military in 2025.
In service since 2025 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
10
km range
3,000
m altitude
100
km radar
Pricing: Reported near-zero marginal cost per engagement versus missile interceptors; unit system cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Israeli export-licensed
Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2025. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 10 km Stronger than 14% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 3,000 m Bottom 4% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 100 kW-class solid-state laser
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Electro-optical tracking, Directed-energy beam
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Integrated with Iron Dome / national air-defense radar network
- Radar range
Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.
- 100 km Stronger than 31% of air-defense systems
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 19% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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Diehl Defence IRIS-T SLM Frequently asked questions
What is the engagement range of the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam has a maximum engagement range of 10 km.
What is the main armament of the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam's primary weapon is the 100 kW-class solid-state laser.
What is the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam used for? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam? +
The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam cost? +
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Iron Beam: Reported near-zero marginal cost per engagement versus missile interceptors; unit system cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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