October 17, 2023, 8:28 a.m
Tel Aviv. Aerospace engineer Uzi Rubin, one of the fathers of Israeli missile defense, warns against placing too high expectations on laser interception systems against projectiles and missiles. “A laser weapon that solves all problems, that’s Star Wars, not reality,” he told Spiegel.
The laser will not be able to replace existing missile defense systems: “It will be a supplement.” Israel has been working on the so-called “Iron Beam” system for years. It is designed to destroy missiles, drones and artillery shells in flight with high-energy laser beams – at a very low cost per kill. The Tamir interceptor missiles from the “Iron Dome” system used so far, however, cost at least $70,000 each.
With a laser umbrella, however, only the electricity costs are incurred. Rubin was director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization in the Israeli Ministry of Defense from 1991 to 1999. Under his leadership, the first long-range defense system was built, the Arrow system. Its latest version is also being purchased by Germany and used as part of a European anti-aircraft umbrella.
Rubin said that the cost per launch of the “Iron Beam” is actually very low, but this is offset by the high investment required to purchase a laser system. In addition, the laser can only be used under certain conditions, for example it cannot penetrate clouds. “It doesn’t work in the rain, smog or dust. In addition, the range is short because the beam loses sharpness after a few kilometers.”
This means: “The defended area per laser is very small. You need a lot of them.” The laser is also a slow weapon: “The beam reaches the target at the speed of light, but then it takes quite a while to pump high energy into the target.” This is not a problem against drones; a short impulse is enough; even a few short-range missiles can be fended off so well; but with larger rockets the time required could become a problem.
The expert’s conclusion: “It looks tempting, but I want to temper expectations. It’s not a revolution, it can be an evolution. At least in this war.”
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2023-10-17 07:22:33
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