Posts
 |
| Bahdahbing! |
Israel has demonstrated an "Iron Beam" laser air defense system that has the capability of destroying incoming rockets, mortars and drones. And while the rockets being fired at the Jewish State may cost a ton of money, one laser shot costs about $3.50 of about 11 shekels. The system is designed to augment the existing Iron Dome air defense system currently in use.
In a 103-second video posted online [see below] Thursday, the Israeli Defense Force showcased what it claims is the system locking on and destroying rockets, mortars and a drone.
The system, as you can see in the video, is trailer mounted. Previously, website Breaking Defense reported that Israel was developing a system firing “an electric 100-150 kW solid-state laser that will be capable of intercepting rockets and missiles.”
According to retired Israeli Gen. Yaniv Rotem, and reported by the Times of Israel, the tests were done at “challenging” ranges and timings," adding that "[T]he use of a laser is a 'game changer' and the technology is simple to operate and proves to be economically viable."
The demonstration showcased the "interception and shrapnel, rockets, anti-tank missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, in a variety of complex scenarios,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense said, adding that “[I]srael is one of the first countries in the world to succeed in developing powerful laser technology in operational standards and demonstrate interception in an operational scenario.”
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was over the moon about the Iron Beam: “This is the world’s first energy-based weapons system that uses a laser to shoot down incoming UAVs, rockets & mortars at a cost of $3.50 per shot,” Bennett said in a Tweet Thursday. “It may sound like science fiction, but it's real.”
Saving lives, saving shekels.
Israel had been planning to use the system in 2024 at first, but the military pushed the timeline up out of concern that their current Iron Dome system, and other systems would run out of interceptor missiles. After all, it's thought that Hezbollah, its proxies and Hamas have about 130,000 rockets, missiles and mortar shells they may be storing to attack Israel in a future war. The IDF has also said “they have seen a growing trend in Iranian use of drone attacks in recent years, dubbing it Iran’s “UAV terror.”
The Iron Beam system changes the game.
The Iron Beam test comes as the U.S. Navy announced it too has demonstrated an enhanced ability to hit an airborne threat with a laser.
A demonstration in February of the Layered Laser Defense system “marked the first time the U.S. Navy used an all-electric, high-energy laser weapon to defeat a target representing a subsonic cruise missile in flight,” according to a media release issued Wednesday.
* * *
Sex. Now that I have your attention: for more hard-hitting content, and a few soft-hitting ones too, subscribe to Brain Flushings and check out the ads on these pages. It costs nothing to subscribe and it's worth every penny. And remember, every time you click on an ad, you help in the fight against John Kerry's global warming, the heebie-jeebies and the dreaded omicron.
* * *
The Layered Laser Defense weapon was designed and built by Lockheed Martin with the goal to "serve as a multi-domain, multi-platform demonstration system." The Navy says the LLD “can counter unmanned aerial systems and fast-attack boats with a high-power laser—and also use its high-resolution telescope to track in-bound air threats, support combat identification and conduct battle damage assessment of engaged targets.”
Both the Israeli and US Laser defense systems have their limitations (you need to see what you're beaming at), they are a major step in defensive military weaponry.
No comments:
Post a Comment