Para hacer frente a la constante amenaza del ataque con cohetes y misiles por parte de sus vecinos, Israel se ha basado hasta ahora en el eficiente sistema de defensa a\u00e9rea Iron Beam. La proliferaci\u00f3n de Drones letales as\u00ed como cohetes y misiles con ataques cada vez m\u00e1s precisos, ha motivado el desarrollo de nuevas alternativas. Iron Beam es un sistema l\u00e1ser, para ser incorporado a plataformas de mar y tierra, que complementar\u00e1 a Iron Beam y ser\u00e1 ensayado operacionalmente durante el presente a\u00f1o.<\/p>\n
JERUSALEM \u2014 Israel is developing lasers to defeat drones<\/a>, rockets, artillery, mortars and anti-tank guided missiles, its Defense Ministry announced Jan. 8, calling the effort a major breakthrough by its Directorate of Defense Research and Development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe are entering a new age of energy warfare in the air, land and sea,\u201d said Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem, head of the directorate. \u201cThe research and development investments made in the last years have placed the state of Israel among the leading countries in the field of high-energy laser systems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Previous reports indicated Israel was working on a program<\/a> called Iron Beam<\/a> to confront the array of threats Israel faces from militants in Gaza, Iran and Syria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lasers are seen as a major new frontier in combating munitions and drones. The U.S. Air Force has used a Raytheon-made high-energy laser to destroy \u201cdozens of small drones,\u201d according to the company. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems\u2019 Drone Dome can also use lasers to address drone threats. Rheinmetall\u2019s high-energy laser has also been used against small drone swarms<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Israel has faced an array of threats in recent years, including an armed drone launched from Syria in February 2018, drones that a team attempted to launch from Syria in August 2019, as well as 2,600 rockets fired by militants based in Gaza. Israel\u2019s multilayered air defense architecture successfully confronted these threats thus far.<\/p>\n Three programs involving Rafael and Elbit Systems are developing high-energy laser demonstrators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Both companies have been working on laser technology for years, but now the government wants them to focus on developing a \u201cground-based laser system to complement the capabilities of the Iron Dome system.\u201d The Iron Dome air defense system is built by Rafael, which has previously teamed up with Raytheon on platform. This would add a new layer to Israel\u2019s air defense architecture that includes David\u2019s Sling and the Arrow missile defense system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The programs are also meant to produce a maneuverable, mountable laser weapon to defend troops in the field, similar to an initial maneuver short-range air defense capability that travel with soldiers.<\/p>\n The companies are also charged with creating an aerial platform to intercept threats \u201cabove cloud cover\u201d for the defense of wide areas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n