RAFAEL to showcase full high-energy laser family at the Paris Air Show
Following the announcement of successful intercepts using Rafael’s laser systems during the current conflict, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. will present its newly developed IRON BEAM laser director alongside its full family of High-Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS) at the Paris Air Show.
Rafael will officially unveil its breakthrough HELWS family – developed in collaboration with the Directorate of Defense R&D (MAFAT) at the Israeli Ministry of Defense. This announcement comes just days after it was revealed that during the “Iron Swords” war, MAFAT, the Israeli Air Force, and Rafael led an accelerated development program to operationalize laser-based interception systems, which successfully neutralized dozens of enemy aerial threats in combat conditions.
Rafael’s export-configured HELWS family, composed of three distinct systems, is built on decades of technological innovation within Rafael and MAFAT. These systems add a critical layer to Israel’s air defense architecture, alongside the IRON BEAM system currently under development and slated for delivery to the IDF this year.
At the center of Rafael’s exhibit in Paris will be the IRON BEAM 450 – the upgraded laser director for IRON BEAM, widely considered the most advanced high-energy laser air defense system in the world. After demonstrating live intercepts in 2022, IRON BEAM is now on track for operational delivery to the Israeli defense establishment by the end of 2025. The system is led by Rafael and developed in cooperation with MAFAT and additional Israeli defense industries including Shafir, SCD, and Elbit Systems.
The new laser director enhances IRON BEAM’s operational range, accuracy, and efficiency, significantly advancing the system’s performance. These upgrades enable longer-range interceptions, faster engagement cycles, and even more precise targeting – while maintaining its unique advantages: speed-of-light threat neutralization, negligible per-intercept cost, and wide-area defense against rapid and complex aerial threats.
Rafael’s unique adaptive optics technology, developed over more than a decade of laser research, enables the system to maintain beam focus on a coin-sized target from 10 kilometers away. This capability dramatically reduces interception costs and ensures effective integration into Israel’s multilayered air defense array.
Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Chairman of Rafael: “Just last week, we announced that Israel is the first country in the world to operationalize powerful high-energy laser technology. Rafael’s IRON BEAM and its broader laser system family are a testament to Israel’s technological edge – and they are, without a doubt, game-changing systems that will transform the modern battlefield. During the current war, Rafael’s air defense systems faced an unprecedented number of threats – tens of thousands of projectiles launched from seven different fronts. IRON BEAM and the entire HELWS family will be integrated into the national air defense array, significantly enhancing its effectiveness.”
Yoav Tourgeman, President and CEO of Rafael: “Rafael has long been the home of Israel’s most advanced air defense systems and is now a global leader in high-energy laser technology. Our HELWS systems are based on a scientific breakthrough in adaptive optics and represent the result of years of intense development by Rafael’s scientists and engineers, in close partnership with the Ministry of Defense’s R&D Directorate. These systems combine high precision and rapid response with exceptionally low interception costs. Rafael remains committed to innovation in the service of Israel’s security.”
