Lockheed Martin, RAFAEL to Collaborate on Laser System

Lockheed Martin and Israel's RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. have signed an agreement that includes jointly developing, testing, and manufacturing high-energy laser weapon systems (HELWS) in the U.S. and Israel. The future joint development will be based on the assets that have been developed independently by RAFAEL and the Ministry of Defense's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) within the framework of the IRON BEAM project. The cooperation will be geared toward developing a variant of the system for the American market as well as others.

Lockheed Martin COO Frank St. John (left) shakes hands with RAFAEL President and CEO Yoav Har-Even. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

After years of joint development by DDR&D and RAFAEL, the IRON BEAM project was initiated by the DDR&D. In the last year, a series of tests on the system was carried out that proved the operational capability of the system.

IRON BEAM is a 100-kW-class HELWS, expected to be the first-ever operational system for ground-based air defense against threats such as rockets, mortars, and UAVs, delivering engagement at the speed of light. The system is designed to intercept threats from a distance of a few hundred meters to up to several kilometers, and it can be integrated on multiple platforms and may be a complementary HEL interceptor to any multilayer defense array.

In addition to developing and fielding the system, the companies will explore additional opportunities to provide the capability to the U.S. and elsewhere.