Israeli laser defense system flourishes in initial tests
Rafael has designed numerous defense systems in the past which have proven critical for Israel's defense.
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERIDrone Dome Rafael laser defense system(photo credit: RAFAEL ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS)
Israeli defense company Rafael’s new Drone Dome C-UAS system, which uses laser technology, performed successfully in recent testing.The system uses a high-powered laser beam to detect, identify and intercept moving targets. It promises to be a solution for securing air space from hostile drones.The new infrastructure has electronic jammers and sensors that allow for neutralization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system is fully operational and is deployed globally, Rafael said in a press release.The Drone Dome’s algorithms allow for it to integrate laser technology for "hard-kill" capabilities. When the system manages to perform a positive identification, it allocates the target to the laser effector, allowing it to lock and track the target to destroy it, Rafael said.The security system is designed to deal with threats by hostile drones, both military and civilian, and provides critical security advantages along borders and around civilian hubs, it said.Rafael has designed defense systems that have proven critical for Israel, including the Iron Dome, which intercepts oncoming rockets, David’s Sling and the SPYDER family of systems.The Defense Ministry recently worked with Rafael and Elbit on laser defense systems that can target larger threats, such as rockets and guided missiles.“We are entering a new age of energy warfare in the air, on land and at sea,” said Brig.-Gen. Yaniv Rotem, head of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Research and Development.The ministry has been working for more than a decade on powerful laser technology to enable the development of platforms to intercept a variety of threats, he said.“During a war, missile interceptors will at one point run out,” he said. “But with this system, as long as you have electricity, you have a never-ending supply [of defense capability]... This is a weapon that you can’t see or hear.”The Drone Dome C-UAS system is the “weapon of the future,” Rotem said.Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.
