What just happened? Israel says it has become the first country to use a laser-based defense system in a combat setting. The Israel Defense Forces announced that the technology was used against Hezbollah drones in hostilities against the group along the Lebanese border last year.
The 10kW Lite Beam prototype system that was used is a less powerful version of the Iron Beam laser interceptor, which is set to become operational sometime in 2025. Both systems were built by Israeli defense tech firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The Lite Beam system was used against the Hezbollah drones in late October last year, but it's only now that a ban on reporting on the weapon has been lifted. It marks the first instance of a laser system being used to shoot down drones in a combat scenario. The compact laser can be mounted on 4×4 wheeled vehicles, making it suitable for front-line deployment.
– (@MoDIsrael) May 28, 2025
The more powerful Iron Beam laser system, first unveiled in 2014, is designed to defeat rockets, artillery shells, mortars, cruise missiles, and UAVs at ranges of hundreds of meters to several kilometers, with future growth to around 10 km (6.2 miles), though fog, heavy rain or sand reduce effective range.
Unlike Israel's traditional missile interceptor defense systems that can cost between $50,000 and $100,000 per shot, each shot of the Iron Beam laser costs only a few dollars. It also has an unlimited magazine as long as there is power, and the shots travel at the speed of light.
The system works by detecting targets using existing radar. Dozens of fiber-laser modules are phase-locked to act like one large aperture, pushing output toward 100 kW. Its adaptive optics system can rapidly retarget between multiple high-speed threats, making it an excellent defensive measure against swarm drone attacks.
The laser systems will eventually be integrated into Israel's famed Iron Dome missile shield.
Other countries are developing similar laser weapons. In 2022, the US Navy's Layered Laser Defense (LLD) took down a drone, which was representing a subsonic cruise missile, during tests for the first time.
In 2024, it was revealed that the UK's 50kW turret-mounted DragonFire laser weapon could hit a coin from a kilometer away at a cost of around $13 per shot.
South Korea also announced that it would use anti-aircraft laser weapons against drones last year.
Israel confirms world-first combat use of laser-beam weapon, downs Hezbollah drones
