Israel unviels new 100kW laser system with 3.5USD cost per interception

[DavidSling]

https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5656889,00.html#autoplay

an article in hebrew about the capability of laser interception with drones.

 

[Ich]

Well, Israel is not the first country as the articel insist. Meanwhile there are a lot of countries who build up this capabilltiy.

 

[DavidSling]

Israel unveils revolutionary laser-based air defense system
The interception system is meant to down targets ranging from mortar fire and drones to Grad rockets and long-range missiles; it is also much more cost-efficient than the current favorite Iron Dome
Yoav Ziton|
Published: 01.08.20 , 23:35
After decades of expensive experiments, failed projects and fruitless ventures, Israeli defense establishment unveiled its latest revolutionary technological achievement. The Ministry of Defense announced Wednesday it has successfully developed a laser-based air defense system.

The system is meant to intercept aerial threats ranging from as mortar fire, drones, medium range Grad rockets, anti-tank missiles as well as long-range missiles, currently at the disposal of Iran-backed terror groups in Syria and Lebanon.
The system is set to be tested in six months' time at an undisclosed location in northern Israel. If the interception test is successful, the laser-based system will be dispatched for field use along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip.

Illustration of the laser defense system
(Photo: Defense Ministry)

The laser, which was developed and manufactured by the government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems over the past decade, has so far proven its interception capabilities during comprehensive testing over its lengthy development cycle.
The plan is to extend the laser's uses and mount its systems on armored vehicles and trucks meant for battlefields in order to protect ground troops in hostile territory. In addition, there are plans to install the system on the Israeli Air Force jets in an effort to start intercepting long range missiles from the above.


Simulation of the Laser based defense system (Video: Ministry of Defense)
"After many years of dreaming of an energy-based weapon system that doesn't include any kind of 'flying metal' I can finally say we are so very close," said Dubi Oster, the head of Optoelectronics at the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure.
"The capabilities we developed are based on electric lasers as opposed to the less reliable, more common chemical laser," said Oster, "meaning we'll be able to target and intercept a flying target from a distance of five kilometers (3.1 miles)."

Illustration of the laser defense system
(Photo: Defense Ministry)
The system's interception will also be much cheaper than that of the Iron Dome, since it does not require expensive interceptor missiles. "The system basically has endless munition," said Oster. "The system is also plugged to a power source, so there's no need to reload regular ordnance."
The new laser system is expected to complement existing active defense systems in the future, such as the Arrow, Patriot and the Iron Dome.
For all its innovations, the system does have its downsides, mainly its field of view which is highly dependent on weather conditions since the system relies on optics in order to successfully hit the intended target.

Illustration of the laser defense system on top of an aircraft
(Photo: Defense Ministry)

"If we successfully attach the system to an aircraft, we could overcome the hurdle of [unexpected] weather ... we could potentially intercept rocket fire right above the enemy's heads," said the Defense Ministry.
"The Israeli mind keeps paving the way, the new laser project will turn Israel's defense into deadlier and more advanced," said Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. "It's a clear message to our enemies, our capabilities are vast."

https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/SJ3Ea5meI#autoplay

 

[Ich]

Normally Israel could have this System 10 years ago. But due to corruption Israel decided to take the rocket based Iron Dom and pay US for the rockets used for.

 

[DavidSling]

Normally Israel could have this System 10 years ago. But due to corruption Israel decided to take the rocket based Iron Dom and pay US for the rockets used for.

not true.
15 years ago the conditions for creating such a system weren't there.
Mthel is one example of it

 

[Ich]

not true

Sure it is. Your posted article even use the same numbers (cost per shot ect.) which were written 20 years ago in the pdf which suggested a laser based "Iron Dom" as the better solution. This "now" new finded laser based Iron dom is old stuff. And that is cause of the decision made long time ago to prefer a rocket based Iron Dom over a laser based Iron Dom - even it would cost much much more in the long run.

"Iron Dome was co-developed by American company Raytheon and Israeli defense firm Rafael. It is partly manufactured in the United States."

To not missunderstand me: There is always corruption everywhere. If one would say that in his gov is no corruption then he is an complete Idiot.

I do not offend with my statement. I like developments in the laser section.

 

[Beny Karachun]

Sure it is. Your posted article even use the same numbers (cost per shot ect.) which were written 20 years ago in the pdf which suggested a laser based "Iron Dom" as the better solution. This "now" new finded laser based Iron dom is old stuff. And that is cause of the decision made long time ago to prefer a rocket based Iron Dom over a laser based Iron Dom - even it would cost much much more in the long run.

"Iron Dome was co-developed by American company Raytheon and Israeli defense firm Rafael. It is partly manufactured in the United States."

To not missunderstand me: There is always corruption everywhere. If one would say that in his gov is no corruption then he is an complete Idiot.

I do not offend with my statement. I like developments in the laser section.

Such technology wasn't achievable 15 years ago.

 

[DavidSling]

Sure it is. Your posted article even use the same numbers (cost per shot ect.) which were written 20 years ago in the pdf which suggested a laser based "Iron Dom" as the better solution. This "now" new finded laser based Iron dom is old stuff. And that is cause of the decision made long time ago to prefer a rocket based Iron Dom over a laser based Iron Dom - even it would cost much much more in the long run.

"Iron Dome was co-developed by American company Raytheon and Israeli defense firm Rafael. It is partly manufactured in the United States."

To not missunderstand me: There is always corruption everywhere. If one would say that in his gov is no corruption then he is an complete Idiot.

I do not offend with my statement. I like developments in the laser section.

In July 2014 it was announced that Raytheon will be the major U.S. partner in co-production of major components for the Iron Dome's Tamir intercepting missile.[51] The U.S. firm will supply components through various subcontractors.

Iron Dome (Hebrew: כִּפַּת בַּרְזֶל, kippat barzel) is a mobile all-weather air defense system[8] developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries

Iron Dome was declared operational and initially deployed on 27 March 2011 near Beersheba.

U.S funded part of the development, and wasn't part of the development itself.
Today Tamir interceptors are being manafuctured in U.S, initially designed by Israeli company Rafael.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Dome

As for the laser system,
20 years ago the electric based laser wasn't developed enough for creating such a system.
We did had some tests in chemical laser (developed with the U.S) and abandoned the project for numerous reasons.

 

[Ich]

Well, the suggested laser based Iron Dome 20 years ago was based on tests the US and Israel together prove succesful. To say 15 years ago there were no laser for that is not true.

https://www.eetimes.com/u-s-israel-test-laser-weapon/

Well, however, in the end there will be a laser based system, at last.

 

[Beny Karachun]

Well, the suggested laser based Iron Dome 20 years ago was based on tests the US and Israel together prove succesful. To say 15 years ago there were no laser for that is not true.

https://www.eetimes.com/u-s-israel-test-laser-weapon/

Well, however, in the end there will be a laser based system, at last.

THEL was chemically based. Its cancellation had its reasons.

 

[IblinI]

Is it China or Isreal that wants to have access to defence technology?
China is indeed catching up but not on the same level as Isreal yet.
And if Isreal had bigger budget they would have made 6th generation fighters by now but then they have US to protect its 2ss so no need for all those stuff.

PLA has put out a tender for its 100KW laser system.

 

[Myth_buster_1]

PLA has put out a tender for its 100KW laser system.

send some over to your allied nation pakistan.

 

[DavidSling]

Israel is developing lasers to kill drones and rockets

Israel is developing lasers to destroy drones. (Courtesy of Israel's Defense Ministry)

JERUSALEM — Israel is developing lasers to defeat drones, rockets, artillery, mortars and anti-tank guided missiles, its Defense Ministry announced Jan. 8, calling the effort a major breakthrough by its Directorate of Defense Research and Development.

“We are entering a new age of energy warfare in the air, land and sea,” said Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem, head of the directorate. “The research and development investments made in the last years have placed the state of Israel among the leading countries in the field of high-energy laser systems.”

Previous reports indicated Israel was working on a program called Iron Beam to confront the array of threats Israel faces from militants in Gaza, Iran and Syria.

Lasers are seen as a major new frontier in combating munitions and drones. The U.S. Air Force has used a Raytheon-made high-energy laser to destroy “dozens of small drones,” according to the company. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Drone Dome can also use lasers to address drone threats. Rheinmetall’s high-energy laser has also been used against small drone swarms.

Israel has faced an array of threats in recent years, including an armed drone launched from Syria in February 2018, drones that a team attempted to launch from Syria in August 2019, as well as 2,600 rockets fired by militants based in Gaza. Israel’s multilayered air defense architecture successfully confronted these threats thus far.

Three programs involving Rafael and Elbit Systems are developing high-energy laser demonstrators.

Both companies have been working on laser technology for years, but now the government wants them to focus on developing a “ground-based laser system to complement the capabilities of the Iron Dome system.” The Iron Dome air defense system is built by Rafael, which has previously teamed up with Raytheon on platform. This would add a new layer to Israel’s air defense architecture that includes David’s Sling and the Arrow missile defense system.

The programs are also meant to produce a maneuverable, mountable laser weapon to defend troops in the field, similar to an initial maneuver short-range air defense capability that travel with soldiers.

The companies are also charged with creating an aerial platform to intercept threats “above cloud cover” for the defense of wide areas.

Israel plans to conduct laser technology demonstrations throughout the year.

https://www.defensenews.com/industr...developing-lasers-to-kill-drones-and-rockets/

 

[DavidSling]

Assessing Israel’s tactical laser breakthrough

Israel says it's on its way to fielding laser weapons in 2020. (Courtesy of Israel's Defense Ministry)
Until recently, the military application of relatively high-energy lasers has been more science fiction than reality. That is starting to change.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced Jan. 8 a “breakthrough” in its development of laser technology to intercept aerial threats. This technological milestone promises to strengthen Israel’s lower-tier missile defense and provides another opportunity for U.S.-Israel research and development cooperation.

In 2006, the same Israeli committee that recommended the development of Iron Dome for short-range missile defense also recommended that Israel continue R&D to develop a solid-state laser for the same purpose.

Last week’s announcement demonstrates the prescience of that recommendation.

Israeli government scientists and industry partners have developed a solid-state laser source capable of producing a coherent beam, based on several smaller laser modules, strong enough to intercept lower-tier rockets and missiles.

The primary breakthrough relates to the laser beam’s power and accuracy. Israel’s MoD reports that it has been able to “target and stabilize the beam” from a distance.

Following the development, the MoD launched three laser programs in collaboration with Israeli industry partners. The first two programs focus on producing a ground-based laser working as a supplement to Iron Dome, and a maneuverable vehicle-mounted laser capability to protect mobile forces. The third program, which may take longer to develop, seeks to field an airborne version that could protect larger areas.

Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem at the Israeli Defense Ministry forecast that Israel will demonstrate the laser capabilities in the field this year. To be clear, Rotem appears to be referring to a demonstrator and not a fielded system. Regardless, this timeline may prove challenging. While the development represents a significant R&D milestone, it is important to understand the technology’s promise — as well as its limitations.

This technology has the potential to provide a more cost-effective missile defense capability. The development and production of the optics, mechanics and laser source for a single beam are admittedly expensive. The cost of a single laser shot, however, is negligible.

Consequently, once fielded, this capability could help address the cost disparity, for example, between relatively inexpensive adversary rockets and much more expensive traditional kinetic interceptors.

Additionally, this laser technology could provide Israel a virtually inexhaustible interceptor stock, for certain missions, as long as military forces maintain access to electricity.

Despite these significant advantages, contrary to some initial public reports, current technical realities present some limitations.

This laser technology, for example, will not provide interception at the speed of light. While the laser beam would indeed reach the target at the speed of light, traveling much faster to the target than a traditional kinetic interceptor, it would need to remain on the target for several seconds before destroying it. The amount of time required would depend on variables such as distance, beam power, atmospheric conditions, the nature of the target and the laser’s exact spot on the target.

Iron Dome, for example, can launch a number of interceptors simultaneously, sending each one to a different target. A single laser could focus on only one target at a time.

One could of course employ multiple beams, but the equipment required to generate multiple beams could quickly become cost-prohibitive. Consequently, this laser technology, at least for now, is ill-suited for countering adversary salvos consisting of large quantities of aerial threats.

Due to challenges related to cost, weight and maneuverability, the most effective and cost-efficient short-term employment of this new technology will likely be in conjunction with Iron Dome batteries.

If successfully fielded, this technology would increase both the capability and capacity of the Iron Dome system — enabling users to preserve finite and more expensive Iron Dome interceptors for targets and weather conditions not suitable for the laser beam.

The U.S. Department of Defense has also made progress in laser weapon technology. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps have started testing high-energy and directed lasers designed to destroy drones. The Air Force successfully tested a laser system capable of shooting down missiles, designed to eventually be used on airplanes. Current technology for lasers is limited to 50-150 kilowatts only capable of destroying drones and some incoming enemy tactical missiles.

The Israeli pairing of this laser capability with Iron Dome may be relevant to the U.S. Army, which has acquired two batteries of the missile defense system.

The next step in laser technology is increasing the output of lasers to defeat higher-end threats found in the Russian, Chinese and Iranian military arsenals. If past is prologue, this will take more time.

As technologies seemingly forever relegated to science fiction become a reality, it is important that the U.S. and Israel field these capabilities before their adversaries. Given common capability needs and the demonstrated prowess of the two defense innovation sectors, it is clear that the U.S. and Israel can do that best together.

Jacob Nagel is a former head of Israel’s National Security Council and national security adviser to the Israeli prime minister. He is a visiting senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Bradley Bowman is senior director for the Center on Military and Political Power at FDD, where Maj. Liane Zivitski is a visiting military analyst. Views expressed or implied in this commentary are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Air University, the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Department or any other U.S. government agency.

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion...istic-is-israels-tactical-laser-breakthrough/

 

[Wa Muhammada]

Israel reveals major 'breakthrough' in laser technology

• i24NEWS

January 08, 2020, 07:38 PM - latest revision January 08, 2020, 07:39 PM

2 min read

Israeli Ministry of Defense

Israeli technological breakthrough in the development of lasers for the interception of drones and missiles, January 8, 2020

The new technology was unveiled by the head of the Defense Ministry’s weapons development administration

Israel's Defense Ministry revealed a breakthrough in laser technology on Wednesday, which is expected to complement the country's Iron Dome anti-missile system.

The new laser-based system is built to intercept rocket, mortar, and artillery threats, drones, and anti-tank guided missiles. It will undergo testing in the coming months with the goal of having it operational within a year and a half.

The new technology was unveiled by the head of the Defense Ministry’s weapons development administration, Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem.

“We are entering a new age of energy warfare in the air, land and sea. The R&D investments made by the DDR&D in the last years have placed the State of Israel among the leading countries in the field of high-energy laser systems. Throughout the year 2020 we will conduct a demo of our capabilities,” Rotem said.

“Investments by the Defense Ministry in recent years have positioned Israel among the leading countries in [the field of] high-power lasers,” he added.

The laser-based interception, which is silent and invisible, is based on electric laser technology rather than the chemically based lasers used up to now.

The cost is less than 10 shekels (about $3.50) per interception, in contrast with Iron Dome, which costs about 170,000 shekels ($49,000) per interception and makes noise on launch.

Former Defense Minister and Chairman of the Yisrael Beyteinu Party, MK Avigdor Liberman addressed the breakthrough in the development of Israeli laser weapons.

"I congratulate the defense establishment on developing a laser system for intercepting rocket launches and anti-aircraft missiles, a project approved during my tenure as defense minister. I am glad that the development of the system was done quickly and efficiently and that the project was not 'buried' like the Northern Protection Program I initiated, which was frozen when I resigned as Minister of Defense," Liberman wrote on Twitter.

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/isra...eveals-major-breakthrough-in-laser-technology

many videos ?