TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Israel's Defense Ministry says in a news release that it made a technological breakthrough in a defensive laser weapon that intercepts aerial threats.
Israel-based Defense Update reports that the laser can shoot down range rockets fired at close range and other threats that are too costly for the Iron Dome to engage.
Defense Update reports that Israeli air defense batteries, armored vehicles and aerial drones will be outfitted with the lasers to bolster defense systems already in use.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the weapon is electrically powered and that it combines multiple beams into one beam capable of overcoming atmospheric conditions.
The active defense system is precise and the laser has successfully intercepted various projectiles in tests, including mortar shells and anti-tank missiles.
Citing a military researcher, the Jerusalem Post reports that the weapon could fire a beam the diameter of a coin from Tel Aviv to Herzliya, which "provides a dramatic solution to rocket fire."