Copyright Breaking Defense
WASHINGTON — Israeli firm Rafael expects to have its laser air defense systems spread throughout the field before the end of the year. But, according to the company’s top executive, that’s only the first step. The next? Tying laser weapons in with artificial intelligence, to the point where the system can calculate how to bring an incoming threat down without excess debris. Rafael has made a big bet on laser systems as a supplement for its vaunted Iron Dome air defense system, replacing kinetic interceptors with directed energy that is significantly cheaper. The Iron Beam system can burn or fry objects at a range of around ten kilometers in seconds, according to Israeli defense officials. Rafael has developed at least three different types of these laser air defenses, which they have showcased abroad, including at this year’s AUSA. And, Rafael’s CEO and President Yoav Tourgeman told Breaking Defense last week, the company believes it’s a winning bet. “There is a huge interest in the global market, huge,” Tourgeman said. “So even though we have delivered to the Air Force an operational [version of] Iron Beam, we are already working on the next and then the one behind it, improvement that will increase the ranges and the speed of the system.” That’s where AI comes in. The kinds of drones, rockets and missiles that Iran or its Houthi proxies use are largely known to Israel, and there is a large amount of data from their interceptions over the year. With a kinetic interceptor, there’s not much in the way of options, but with a laser interceptor, it suddenly becomes possible — at least theoretically — to control a takedown. “For example, if it’s an airplane and you cut the right wing, [it will] flip over and come to the right. If you cut the left wing, you will fall to the left. You have a kind of a control where, how to intercept it, where you will be landing,” Tourgeman said. “You understand that there is room [for] the system to learn and improve itself. And now we have the capability of every target, to work on several interception methods that will give different results.” Tourgeman, whose background is in the Israeli Navy, also expressed confidence that the Iron Beam and its follow-ons will be able to operate from ships, saying “We are sure that we it fits the naval arena, very, very well, by the way. It is optimal for a ship.” European Concerns? During the interview, Tourgeman noted that the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, actually occurred on the first day of that year’s AUSA, with company employees visiting Washington for the show having to scramble to find flights to get back home. In the wake of Israel’s retaliation in Gaza, domestic defense firms have found themselves the target of political pressures abroad, especially in Europe. However, the Rafael executive said that rhetoric has yet to actually impact their sales abroad. “They didn’t buy our equipment because we are nicer or they like us more. They bought it because they think it’s the best equipment they can [get]. And if they do not do that, they will be less performing,” Tourgeman said. He pointed to Spain, which announced in late September plans to cancel an Israeli buy, including $339 million worth of Rafael’s Spike anti-tank missiles. According to Tourgeman, however, “we haven’t seen yet any formal cancelation. “There is a formal way of canceling, you sign formally and you cancel formally. So we haven’t seen yet any formal cancelation, and hopefully they will not do that because they will harm not only us, they will harm themselves as well.” Perhaps the most visible example of an anti-Israeli stance happened at this year’s Paris Air Show, where Israeli defense firms arrived on Monday morning to find their booths had been wrapped in giant black cloth, making them inaccessible. “The French doesn’t want you to see our products? You can see the demonstration now in Iran, in Tehran,” Tourgeman said animatedly. “And eventually the exposure we got was even bigger than regular year, absolutely. I don’t want to thank [French President Emmanual Macron], because I will never thank him. I think what he have done is not right, the President of the French, but still, even though he meant to harm us, eventually, he didn’t.” Asked whether Rafael was seeking restitution from show organizers, Tourgeman said the Israeli government has filed a case and indicated the company would let that play out. But, he said clearly, he plans to be back in Paris come 2027. “I’m not going to give up to any politicians that [are] trying to do any harm,” he said. “We have not pulled out of [Paris], and I will fight him in court, as we did last time.”
