Israel successfully downs targets using airborne laser system
The Defense Ministry has successfully carried out a series of interceptions to shoot down drones with a powerful airborne laser system installed on a civilian light aircraft.
The trials were carried out over a number of days last week under the leadership of the ministry’s research and development unit, together with Elbit Systems and the IAF.
During the trials that were carried out over the sea, the high-powered laser fired from a civilian Cessna plane destroyed the unmanned targets at differing ranges and altitudes.
According to the Defense Ministry, Israel is perhaps the first country in the world to have been able to use such laser technology on an aircraft to intercept targets in an operational simulation.
“This is the first time in Israel, perhaps the world, that this was done,” said Brig.-Gen. Yaniv Rotem, head of military research and development at the Defense Ministry. “This is a groundbreaking technological achievement and is a critical step for further development.”
The fully automated energy system uses the laser to destroy
a target while flying above the clouds, he said, adding that the “powerful and precise system” can intercept the target “regardless of weather conditions.”
Once a target passes through the area of interest, the system can be directed at any part of it with very high accuracy. It locks on and remains locked on until the target is downed.
The trials are the first phase in a multiyear pilot program of the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (MAFAT) and Elbit Systems to develop an aerial laser system to confront a number of threats facing Israel, including long-range rockets. The system is not intended to be used against incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip.
Airborne laser targeting has many advantages, including a low cost of use, the ability to effectively intercept long-range threats at high altitude regardless of weather conditions and the ability to defend large areas.
The Defense Ministry hopes to install the system on a larger aircraft in upcoming trials and then on other aerial platforms, Rotem said. The system initially will be used for defense and eventually also will be used in offensive scenarios, he said.
During the trials, several UAVs were downed at a range of one kilometer with a 100% success rate, Rotem said. In a few years, the ministry intends to build a laser with a power of 100 kilowatts that will have an effective
added, along with emoji of the Israeli and Emirati flags.
No Israeli cabinet ministers have visited the UAE or Bahrain since the Abraham Accords were announced. Netanyahu had to postpone several planned trips due to coronavirus lockdowns and because one was too close to this year’s election, and the UAE did not want the relationship to be politicized.
Netanyahu would not allow other ministers to travel to the Gulf before he did. Former foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi and tourism minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen (Blue and White), now science and technology minister, had to cancel planned trips.
Ashkenazi met with his Emirati counterpart in Berlin, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani visited Israel.
National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat visited Abu Dhabi with a large professional delegation two weeks after the Abraham Accords were announced.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Ram Ben Barak (Yesh Atid) spoke with his Emirati counterpart, Ali Rashid al-Nuaimi, who is an outspoken supporter of the Abraham Accords.
“Peace between Israel and the UAE is an important strategic asset in promoting stability and peace in the Middle East,” Ben-Barak said, adding that the “conversation between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi is a dream come true for me and adds another level to the cooperation and peace between nations.”
They discussed national and regional security, foreign relations and bilateral relations between the committees, parliaments and countries.
Nuaimi suggested establishing a joint parliamentary delegation, along with members of other legislatures in the Middle East, to travel to the US and other countries to encourage peace and cooperation across the region.
Ben Barak said he supports the idea. •