The Israeli Defense Ministry and defense contractor Elbit are developing an airborne laser weapon to shoot down drones and other targets moving in the sky.
According to the assessment, this laser weapon can be combined with Israel’s multi-layered air defense system, which includes Iron Dome to shoot down short-range missiles and David’s Sling and Arrow to counter ballistic missiles. General Yaniv Rotem, in charge of research and development of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, said that the initial tests of the laser weapon mounted on a light aircraft have recorded successful results against drones at a distance of 1km.
According to General Yaniv Rotem: “As far as we know we are the first one – but maybe, for sure we are among the first countries – that have tried and succeeded such an…interception,” he said.
Elbit makes C-Music, a defence system fitted to aircraft which uses a laser to “blind” incoming missiles. Oren Sabag, a senior Elbit official, said the new laser weapon would use tracking technologies similar to C-Music’s but would destroy targets by heating them up so they catch fire in “a few seconds”.
Oren Saba also predicts laser weapons with a range of 20 km could be launched in the next 3-4 years. The Israeli Ministry of Defense, Elbit and the Rafael company are collaborating on the development of a ground-based laser weapon that specializes in destroying airborne moving targets. This weapon can reach a range of 8-10 km and come into operation from 2025. The aerial version of the laser weapon has the advantage of operating through clouds, eliminating interruptions due to bad weather.
OMG…the world has gone completely mad