Located on the outskirts of Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, and just a few dozen kilometers from the border with Lebanon—a region co...
Located on the outskirts of Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, and just a few dozen kilometers from the border with Lebanon—a region consistently at risk due to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group—stands the research campus of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. This facility is the core of Israel's defense technology, where the world's most sophisticated missile defense system, the Iron Dome, was developed. Within the highly secured premises, Rafael representatives revealed to a delegation from Korean media a large device resembling a refrigerator, referring to it as the first public presentation during a media briefing. This was the Iron Beam, a laser-based air defense interception system set to transform modern warfare. They also showed test footage from the desert: "3, 2, 1... Launch!" As the laser was activated, a drone several kilometers away caught fire. The control room filled with cheers of "Successful Intercept." Engineers exclaimed, "We got it!" What once seemed like science fiction has already been secretly used in combat since September and is planned for official deployment within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) by December, marking a global first.
◇The Dilemma of Iron Dome, Solution Found in Light
Surrounded by adversarial countries, Israel has consistently focused on developing air defense systems to shoot down missiles from every direction. The Iron Dome, which has been in operation since 2011, has ensured daily safety with an interception success rate of over 90%. However, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a massive attack involving thousands of rockets, revealing the system's weaknesses. Although Hamas's rockets and drones cost tens of thousands to millions of Korean won, each Iron Dome Tamir missile costs hundreds of millions of Korean won—making this expense impractical in prolonged warfare. A Rafael representative noted, "The financial challenge sped up the creation of Iron Beam." Its main advantage is its "electricity as ammunition" approach. With just fuel costs for generators, the cost of interception becomes nearly zero, allowing for continuous firing without concerns about ammunition supply.
◇ 'Four Lineups' Completed, 'First Combat Victory'
Laser weapons were not feasible for many years because of "atmospheric distortion," where particles and humidity in the air disperse and bend light over extended distances, weakening their effectiveness. Two major advancements addressed this issue: Coherent Beam Combining (CBC), which combines several low-power lasers into one strong, high-quality beam; and Adaptive Optics, which examines atmospheric distortion hundreds of times each second, modifying lenses to concentrate energy accurately on the target, similar to a "pinhole."
Iron Beam has four different configurations. The "Standard" model (100kW power, 450mm lens) is used to safeguard important locations such as airports and military installations up to an altitude of 10km. The "Mobile" version (50kW, mounted on a truck) is designed for border units and mobile forces. The "Naval" variant is intended for protecting maritime facilities. The "Lite" model (10kW, small-sized) can be installed on off-road vehicles like Jeeps. A representative from Rafael mentioned, "The 'Lite' version successfully carried out Israel's first combat laser interception during this conflict." Next month, the 100kW "Standard" will be sent to Eilat in southern Israel.
◇C4I Integration: Finalizing the Five-Layer Security System
The activation of Iron Beam completes Israel's five-layer defense system. The current four-tier structure—Arrow 1/2 (long-range), David’s Sling (medium-range), and Iron Dome (short-range)—now incorporates Iron Beam to address threats within a 5–10km range. All systems are integrated into Israel's C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) framework. Iron Dome targets "costly threats," whereas Iron Beam deals with "daily threats." A Rafael representative stated, "This brings to life Prime Minister Ben-Gurion's 70-year-old vision: 'Survive through scientific superiority'—now as a 'sword of light.'"
