Israel has successfully completed experiments in a target interception system using laser

The defense establishment has announced that it has successfully completed a series of experiments in a target interception system using a powerful laser. The experiments have taken place in recent weeks in an experimental field in the south of the country, in which the ground laser system intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles, shrapnel, rockets and anti-tank missiles in various scenarios. Israel is the first country in the world to present experimental results demonstrating operational capabilities for laser interception.
During the experiment, the developers imagined the launches over Israel during Operation Wall Guard, when more than 4,000 rockets were fired at Israel. According to security sources, operating the laser system in a similar scenario would save hundreds of Iron Dome interceptors and improve the IDF's capabilities, which the defense establishment said "could have changed the face of the battle as Israel suffered during the days of the operation." For the first time, energy weapons are working in practice, "said the head of research and development at Mapat (Administration for Research, Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure), Brigadier General Yaniv Rotem.
The name of the system is "Light Shield" and it is estimated that its wide deployment will be possible in the coming years. However, an initial operational system may be deployed in the Gaza Strip as early as the end of the current year. At the same time, the possibility of installing the system on planes and drones is being examined. The IDF is also working to create an advanced development of the system, which will protect the fighting forces on the ground in enemy territory.
"We worked for a whole month every day, sometimes until 3: 00-2: 00 in the morning, and then we met again at six in the morning and went out for another round," said Brigadier General Rotem. There were such things, expectation and hope - then in the first interception the voices of joy and excitement - it is a historic event! No less than that, "Rotem concluded.
Raphael CEO, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yoav Har Even, said that “there is still a long way to go but there is no doubt that this experiment is a significant milestone in our ability, for the first time to truly understand an entire system. We have a double-digit period of several months here, and we will eventually reach an operational system. "Defense Minister Bnei Gantz said:" For the first time ever, a powerful laser system, from blue and white development, intercepts targets remotely. This achievement is reserved for the Israeli innovation, the defense system and the industries that come together and provide an umbrella of security and protection for the citizens of Israel. "