Israel to expand Iron Beam integration as laser system set for bigger role in warfare by year's end

Israeli laser defense systems will be more integrated for any war scenarios by the end of 2026, sources have told The Jerusalem Post.

Many in the Israeli public were puzzled that the Iron Beam laser defense system did not play a larger role in providing air defense to Israel during the early 2026 war with Iran.

On May 1, the air force said that the Iron Beam laser defense system was used less in the 2026 war with Iran because the military needs 14 batteries to have a significant enough impact.

Previously, on March 12, the IDF had acknowledged that it was not using the Iron Beam laser for regular use during the ongoing Iran war.

This admission came despite the fact that various forms of Iron Beam were used to shoot down around 40 Hezbollah drones in fall 2024

Israel building additional Iron Beam platforms 

The Post understands that Israel is making strong progress in building additional Iron Beam platforms compared to what it was able to deploy in December 2025, when it made its first announced deployment.

This could mean the laser would be used more actively for air defense in any future conflict with Iran or Hezbollah, though still in tandem with the Iron Dome.

In 2025, Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram said deployment of the Iron Beam laser marked, " the completion of our high-power laser system development - a historic milestone for Israel's defense establishment and defense industries. This is the first time in the world that a high-power laser interception system has reached full operational maturity, completing numerous interceptions across various simulated operational scenarios."

Also in 2025, the ministry's head of the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), Danny Gold, said, "the Iron Beam laser system is expected to fundamentally change the rules of engagement on the battlefield.  Simultaneously, we are already advancing the next-generation systems."

Already in June 2025, the ministry and Rafael, the lead company of multiple defense tech companies involved, including Elbit and others, had announced that Lite Beam, a smaller relative of Iron Beam, was operational.

In mid-September 2025, the Defense Ministry announced that Iron Beam was operational and that a full series of batteries would be fanning out across the country to provide cutting-edge new air defense capabilities within the coming months.

Back in June 2025, the ministry already disclosed that Israeli laser defense systems had shot down around 40 Hezbollah drones in October 2024.

Iron Beam has more power, a longer range, and can be used to defend against a wide array of threats compared to Lite Beam, a shorter-range version of the system.

Iron Beam can specifically shoot down drones, missiles, rockets, mortars, when ready

Second, Iron Beam, if and when it is ready, can specifically shoot down not only drones, but also missiles, rockets, and mortars, making it far more formidable than if it were only capable of shooting down drones, a relatively slow- moving threat.

In 2025, the ministry and the IDF said they had expected Iron Beam to immediately start reducing the cost of shooting down aerial threats, an issue which has been out of control for Israel during this war in which tens of thousands of threats have been launched through the air at Israel on six fronts.

Firing Arrow interceptors can cost millions of shekels, Iron Dome interceptors can cost tens of thousands of shekels, but firing the Iron Beam is as cheap as turning a light on.

Some sources have said that any move for Iron Beam to truly move ahead of Iron Dome as the lead short-range air defense could still take a number of years.

Using lasers to defend against long-range threats, such as Iran's ballistic missiles, could take that much longer, with some projecting 5-10 years or longer.

This is because shooting down such missiles could require air-based or space-based lasers.

Israel develops new techniques to deal with Hezbollah FPV drone threat

Meanwhile, Israel is far more ready now for the Hezbollah FPV drone threat than it was in early 2026, but there is still a learning curve, the Post has learned.

According to sources, the IDF has deployed special kinds of short-range guns for shooting down drones, nets, kamikaze Israeli drones, and electromagnetic warfare, and has also improved detection of FPV drones, which was an enormous issue in early 2026.

Israel is also working on direct-energy, microwave-style weapons that could "fry" and neutralize the machinery of an FPV drone

The Post understands that the Defense Ministry held a large series of tryouts in the South recently, with two companies winning a competition for new techniques to combat drones.

One threat which Israel is also working on, but has had less attention to invest in due to the massive number of larger threats, is Iran's cluster munitions.

Israel is certainly working on combating the cluster munitions. But they do not cause anywhere near as much damage as ballistic missiles or drones.

Adding that, along with the fact that they are difficult to stop if they are not destroyed along with the ballistic missile that usually carries them, it is not clear that Israel will have substantially improved its defense against these munitions in any near-future Iran conflict, though it will have a better chance in a medium-term conflict.