MILAN — Interest in direct-energy weapons is rising in the Gulf region, a technology in which Israel has proclaimed itself a leader with the fielding of the Iron Beam.
Absent the breakthrough capability, militaries in the region are stuck with the costly proposition of shooting interceptor missiles at incoming threats, an economic calculus untenable for some.
Sasha Bruchmann, a research fellow at the Bahrain office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, explained that while there is a common allure among Gulf states to directed-energy weapons, there is no joint initiative in place dedicated to researching or developing such systems.
“There has been a shared interest in so far as most would want to have them, they are high on the priority list of most regional states – however, there is no common Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approach or umbrella that I am aware of to foster this cooperatively or even bilateral cooperation,” he said.
The expert noted that Saudi Arabia is reported to have already purchased a Chinese-made smaller laser counter-drone system and that the United Arab Emirates appears to want to develop these types of weapons through independent initiatives. Janes reported on Saudi efforts to that effect last month.
Mastering the technology of disabling missiles, drones and smaller projectiles with lasers has long been the holy grail of air defense. Few nations have succeeded so far, with Israel and the United States among the ones closest to this pursuit.
Israeli defense company Rafael has been working for over a decade on the Iron Beam – which it is expected to deploy before the end of this year.
The intention is to integrate the system into the Iron Dome, which relies on kinetic interceptors, to render the package more effective. In the setup, Iron Beam would direct a large amount of small beams on the most vulnerable spot of incoming threats, incapacitating them.
At the 2023 edition of the IDEX trade show in Abu Dhabi, Rafael exhibited a mock-up of the Iron Beam, signaling an interest in possibly exporting the system to regional customers in the future.
A company representative confirmed to Defense News that the company will be showcasing additional laser-based capabilities at this year’s event running Feb. 17-21.
Bruchmann views a sale as unlikely right now, given the high political stakes a purchase like this would entail. Gulf states have condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, unleashed in response to a cross-border incursion of Hamas fighters.
“There are other hard-kill options that are already in the region that may be less costly politically rather than buying Israeli right now – Gaza is still on everyone’s mind in the Middle East,” he said.
Bruchmann suggested waiting to see how Iron Beam performs once deployed, warning that the range of each laser is as of now limited to a few kilometers. The defensive system “would have to be produced and exported at scale,” to provide sufficient protection for vast areas, he added.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
