Israel’s “Laser Wall” – When will it be Feasible?

Israel’s “Laser Wall” – When will it be Feasible?

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel will surround itself with a defensive “laser wall,” with new missile interception technology to be ready within a year. He was speaking at an Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference on Feb. 1.

“This will allow us, in the medium- to long-term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that will defend us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats that will essentially take away the strongest card our enemies have against us,” Bennett said.

The IDF will begin using the laser interception system in the next year, first experimentally and later operationally, starting in the South.

Bennett explained that today a terrorist in Gaza can launch a rocket into Israel that costs hundreds of dollars to make, while the Iron Dome battery shooting down the rocket costs tens of thousands of dollars. “We decided to break the equation.”

Israel will offer the laser technology to its regional allies that are also facing threats from Iran and its proxies, the prime minister said.

Israeli defense sources said in response that the declaration does not reflect reality. The breakthrough has been proven two years ago in a series of tests, however, it is evaluated that operational feasibility proof would take at least three years, and in several stages, according to maariv.co.il.

Interested in learning more about air and missile defense? Attend IAMD – the Israeli Air and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition on March 8 at Tel Aviv Expo, pavilion 10.