Laser weapons as additional protection against drones: interview with Igal Helemski of Rafael

Laser weapons are regarded as a key technology for future air defence. They are intended to complement existing defence systems and open up new options, particularly in countering drones. At “DroneVation & Defence 2026”, Igal Helemski, Director of Marketing and Business Development for Air & Missile Defense Systems at Rafael, talked about the company's laser system, the lessons from current conflicts and the future of autonomous air defence.

Mr Helemski, which laser-based air defence systems does Rafael offer?
We offer three main categories of laser-based systems. The first is the high-power laser Iron Beam. It belongs to the 100-kilowatt class, reaches a range of up to ten kilometres and is designed to engage drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), mortar rounds, rockets, cruise missiles and comparable threats with precision. The second category is the medium-power laser Iron Beam M, where the “M” stands for “Mobile”. The system has an output of 50 to 70 kilowatts and an effective range of around five kilometres. It is designed for the same threat scenarios. A sea-based variant is currently under development. The third system is Lite Beam, the smallest member of this family. It is a compact 10-kilowatt laser developed primarily for counter-unmanned aircraft systems (counter-UAS) operations. Unlike the larger systems, Lite Beam is not designed to defeat ballistic threats.

What is the range of Lite Beam?
Lite Beam is light and compact enough to be installed on a vehicle. The system can be deployed quickly and enables highly precise engagement of targets. Comparable systems in this power class usually reach a range of only about one kilometre, whereas we achieve up to three kilometres. This is made possible by several key technologies developed by Rafael.

Looking at Ukraine, drone technology currently seems to be evolving rapidly. In your view, what has changed most over the past two years?
The war in Europe, the conflicts in the Middle East and other crises have massively increased demand for counter-UAS solutions. Today drones pose a major challenge for almost all armed forces – especially fibre-optic-guided systems, which cannot easily be defeated with conventional electronic warfare. Companies therefore have to deliver new capabilities much faster than in the past. Many rely on artificial intelligence to accelerate development, production and software engineering. The aim is to shorten the so-called time to market. Another trend is the reuse of existing technologies. Instead of developing every system entirely from scratch, companies combine proven subsystems into new solutions that can be introduced much more quickly.

What does that mean in terms of cost efficiency?
Artificial intelligence, automation and ever more capable sensors are now industry standard. At the same time, every company tries to bring in its own key technologies to increase performance and keep costs under control. Intercepting a 500-euro drone with a 100,000-euro missile hardly makes economic sense. Conversely, a UAV worth 5,000 euros can destroy a radar that costs several hundred million dollars. That is why the cost of interception always has to be weighed against the potential damage. Overall, the market is looking for solutions that can be produced quickly, are cost-efficient and can be adapted rapidly to new threats.

Is that where laser technology plays to its strengths?
Absolutely. The cost per laser shot is close to zero. The systems themselves do require a considerable initial investment, but over their entire service life they are extremely cost-efficient, inexpensive to operate and very robust. Our systems are already in operational use, so we have been able to gather valuable operational experience. Lasers are not meant to replace existing air defence systems but to form an additional layer within a multi-layered air defence architecture. A laser can only engage one target at a time, but the engagement is very fast. Combined with the range, this makes it possible to neutralise several targets in succession within a short time.

So the aim is not to replace systems such as Iron Dome with laser weapons?
No, not at all. The laser is an additional layer of defence, not a replacement. We often talk about “protecting the protector”. Iron Dome is one of the most capable short- and medium-range air defence systems in the world. But even a system like Iron Dome needs to be protected itself. Together with other technologies, laser weapons can safeguard these particularly valuable systems. Recent conflicts have shown that even critical infrastructure remains vulnerable to drones such as the Shahed. Our goal is to provide an additional layer of protection for such strategic systems.

It happens that an engineer develops and produces a system and, a short time later, uses it himself in the field. He then returns to the company with first-hand operational experience.

Feedback from operations is now regarded as an important driver of military innovation. How does Rafael ensure that this experience flows quickly into the development of new systems?
Israel offers an exceptionally good environment for this. Rafael has state-of-the-art test facilities in which we can trial new systems under realistic conditions. Equally important, however, is the speed of our development process. We continuously adapt our systems on the basis of operational experience. A key reason for this is that many of our engineers are also reservists in the Israel Defense Forces. It happens that an engineer develops and produces a system and, a short time later, uses it himself in the field. He then returns to the company with first-hand operational experience. This allows us to implement design changes, software updates and new functions within a very short time.

Looking ahead to the next five to ten years: which technological developments will change drone warfare the most?
The need for low-cost and scalable solutions will continue to grow. I am convinced that industry and armed forces will increasingly turn to proven, commercially available technologies and adapt them to new military requirements, rather than developing every system entirely from scratch. From a technological point of view, directed-energy weapons will gain significantly in importance. These also include high-power microwave (HPM) systems. Their capabilities are still limited today, but within the next five to ten years they could play an important role, particularly in defending against drone swarms. Instead of physically destroying each individual target, they can disable the drones' electronic systems.

So the trend is more towards soft kill?
Generally speaking, I expect soft-kill technologies to gain significantly in importance alongside conventional hard-kill systems. Another trend will be the increased use of autonomous drones that engage other drones. Combined with modern sensors, target-tracking systems and multiple launchers, they will become an important tool in defending against drone swarms.

In five or ten years, will we still be talking about the “human in the loop”, or will fully autonomous systems become the standard?
Autonomous capabilities are already a reality today. Automatic target tracking, automatic target engagement and autonomous systems are already available. The extent to which they are used ultimately depends on the doctrine of the respective user. Even if systems are able to operate ever more autonomously in future, I still consider human oversight to be indispensable. One important reason for this is cyber security. Systems can be compromised. That is why safeguards such as human control or self-destruct functions will continue to play an important role. Artificial intelligence is already changing product development, software development and the speed at which new systems come to market. When it comes to operational decisions, however, in my view humans will remain an indispensable part of the decision-making process.