As Israel fields Iron Beam, Gulf states are pining for the technology

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 was 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.

米兰——海湾地区对定向能武器的兴趣日益浓厚，以色列凭借“铁束”导弹的部署，宣称自己在该技术领域处于领先地位。

如果缺乏突破性能力，该地区的军队只能采取代价高昂的拦截导弹来应对来袭威胁的方案，这对一些国家来说是不划算的。

国际战略研究所巴林办事处的研究员萨沙·布鲁赫曼解释说，虽然海湾国家对定向能武器有着共同的吸引力，但目前还没有专门研究或开发此类系统的联合倡议。

他说：“就大多数国家而言，它们都具有共同的兴趣，因为它们在大多数地区国家的优先事项清单上都名列前茅——然而，据我所知，海湾合作委员会（GCC）还没有一个共同的方法或框架来促进这种合作，甚至是双边合作。”

专家指出，据报道沙特阿拉伯已经购买了一套中国制造的小型激光反无人机系统，而阿联酋似乎也希望通过独立行动研发此类武器。《简氏防务周刊》上个月曾报道过沙特阿拉伯在这方面的努力。

掌握利用激光拦截导弹、无人机和小型弹丸的技术一直是防空领域的终极目标。迄今为止，成功实现这一目标的国家寥寥无几，以色列和美国是其中最接近成功的国家。

以色列国防公司拉斐尔（Rafael）十多年来一直在研发“铁梁”（Iron Beam）系统，预计将于今年年底前部署该系统。

其目的是将该系统集成到依靠动能拦截器的“铁穹”防御系统中，以提升整体效能。在这种配置下，“铁光束”系统会将大量小型光束集中照射到来袭威胁最脆弱的部位，使其丧失作战能力。

在 2023 年阿布扎比国际防务展 (IDEX) 上，拉斐尔公司展出了 Iron Beam 的模型，表明该公司有意在未来将该系统出口到区域客户。

该公司一位代表向《防务新闻》证实，该公司将在今年 2 月 17 日至 21 日举行的展会上展示更多基于激光的功能。

布鲁赫曼认为，鉴于此类收购涉及巨大的政治风险，目前不太可能达成交易。海湾国家谴责以色列对加沙地带发动的攻势，此次攻势是对哈马斯武装分子越境入侵的回应。

他说：“该地区还有其他一些强力打击手段，这些手段在政治上的代价可能比现在购买以色列武器要低——加沙仍然是中东每个人心中的焦点。”

布鲁赫曼建议先观察“铁束”系统部署后的实际表现，并警告说，目前每台激光器的射程仅限于几公里。他还补充说，这套防御系统“必须大规模生产和出口”，才能为大片区域提供足够的保护。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。