Suppose Iran sends a swarm of drones to bomb Tel Aviv. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could shoot $70,000 dollar missiles and maybe take out a third of them, or now it can aim its new laser weapon at the incoming for about $2 a pop.
That means Israel can drain its enemies' money and resources while protecting its own people at almost zero cost.
Pentagon analyst Bob Maginnis says the Light Shield or Iron Beam was developed in the U.S. and sold to the Israelis.
"Iron Beam in Israel was only made possible through U.S. congressional funding," he explains. "We gave in 2024 $1.2 billion for the procurement of Iron Beam system."
The 100-kilowatt laser weapon system shoots concentrated beams of energy to destroy aerial threats with pinpoint accuracy. Maginnis says it will be part of President Trump's Golden Dome for America.
"The whole directed energy [research and development] surge by our mutual countries has really put in place some capabilities," the analyst asserts.
The weapon requires little manpower to operate and move, making it easier to conceal, but one noteworthy tradeoff is it can only be effectively used in dry conditions, as water particles in the air diffuse and absorb the concentrated light.
It also requires a lot of power.
"The issue we're dealing with on land and at sea and in the air has been the power supply and the energy density, because these things require a lot of power instantaneously," Maginnis reports.
For Israel, the necessary energy comes from a combination of sources, including the country's existing power infrastructure which relies on gas rigs, diesel fuel, and imported coal, complemented by dedicated backup generators and the capacity for future upgrades to renewable energy.
Israel has reportedly completed development and tests, and the state-of-the-art weapon, which "never runs out of ammo," has officially been declared operational.
