Rafael will certainly show the brand-new system and its complete High-Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS) household at the Paris Air Show happening at Paris’ Le Bourget airport on June 16, 2025
Complying with the news of successful intercepts using Rafael’s laser systems during the present problem, Rafael Advanced Defense Equipments Ltd. has introduced the launch of the IRON LIGHT BEAM 450 HELWS fitted with a laser beam director designed specifically for the optimal power ratings supplied by Iron Light beam.
Rafael will formally unveil its advancement HELWS family– established in partnership with the Directorate of Defense R&D (MAFAT) at the Israeli Ministry of Defense. At the airshow, Rafael will provide the export-configured HELWS family, made up of three systems: the light beam mobile alternative created for light lorries, the truck-mounted mid-range Iron Beam M fitted with a light beam supervisor with a 250 mm aperture, and the full-scale relocatable (containerized) Iron Beam of light, now geared up with a bigger 450 mm aperture. The system is outfitted with Rafael’s special Meaningful Beam of light Combining and Reverse Flexible Optics modern technologies, enabling it to track and secure on coin-sized targets beyond 10 km continuously. The system is created with open design enabling versatile integration with land, marine, and various other air protection systems.
The IRON light beam system currently under growth is slated for delivery to the IDF this year. These systems are improved decades of technical technology within Rafael and MAFAT, including a critical layer to Israel’s air protection style.
After showing online intercepts in 2022, IRON BEAM is currently on course for functional delivery to the Israeli protection facility by the end of 2025 The system development is led by Rafael and established together with MAFAT and extra Israeli defense markets including Shafir, SCD, and Elbit Solutions.
“Rafael has actually long been the home of Israel’s most innovative air defense systems and is now an international leader in high-energy laser technology,” said Yoav Tourgeman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rafael. “Our HELWS systems are based on a scientific breakthrough in flexible optics and stand for the outcome of years of intense growth by Rafael’s scientists and engineers, in close partnership with the Ministry of Protection’s R&D Directorate. These systems combine high precision and rapid reaction with incredibly low interception costs. Rafael continues to be committed to development in the solution of Israel’s protection.”
The new laser beam of light director improves IRON light beam’s functional variety, accuracy, and efficiency, considerably progressing the system’s performance. These upgrades make it possible for longer-range interceptions, faster engagement cycles, and more exact targeting– while preserving its distinct advantages: danger neutralization at the rate of light, negligible per-intercept cost, and wide-area defense against rapid and intricate airborne hazards.
Rafael’s HELWS platforms include advanced discovery systems (radars) with integral classification and monitoring formulas, supporting ultra-short engagement cycles and prioritization. The fact that the targeting cycle adheres to a detailed aesthetic evaluation of the target lowers the probability of pleasant fire by the laser. Proprietary flexible optics enable ultra-precise long-range beam of light concentrating.
With the distinctive advantages of unlimited magazine depth (getting rid of ammo restrictions) and near-zero expense per interception compared to kinetic or missile-based systems, Rafael’s HELWS household provides an added layer of air and pressure defense, providing scalable, reliable laser-based options for a broad array of air-borne threats.
With the updated supervisor, IRON BEAM 450 currently supplies longer variety, higher accuracy, and much faster interaction– all while keeping its functional edge. Image: Rafael