Could Israel’s Iron Beam Replace the Iron Dome?

Israel has a new missile defense system! You’ve probably heard of Israel’s famous Iron Dome system which protects against unguided missile attacks. The iron dome system has a few drawbacks though like high costs issues dealing with higher volume attacks. The new Iron Beam system seeks to solve both problems by augmenting the capabilities of the Iron Dome system. With a cost per kill of around $, this system is dirt cheap. Likely to be the world’s first energy-based missile defense system in full fledged use, the iron beam will help create an all-encompassing defense network capable of stopping anything from UAVs to missiles and more. The main drawback of this system is that it has a lower effectiveness in low visibility situations because, unlike the iron dome, it uses visuals to target and attack and cannot rely solely on radar to hit a target. Israel plans to deploy the system on aircraft as well in an attempt to circumvent this problem and keep the old Iron Dome up and running t