Lockheed Martin [LMT] said Monday it has teamed with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
to work on “jointly developing, testing and manufacturing High Energy Laser Weapon Systems,” to include building on the Israeli firm’s new 100-kilowatt laser technology.
The two companies noted the teaming agreement includes developing a variant of Rafael’s Iron Beam laser technology, which it developed with the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), that is aimed at the U.S. defense market.
“Lockheed Martin’s mission is to deliver the best security solutions that help our customers stay ahead of their adversaries. Working with Rafael, our joint team will help bring this new, life-saving capability to our customers,” Frank St. John, Lockheed Martin’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “This unique capability will enhance Israel’s vital air and missile defense system with state-of-the-art laser technology, and we are honored by the opportunity to expand Lockheed Martin’s role as a security teammate for the State of Israel.”
Rafael announced in April its 100-kilowatt Iron Beam laser system had recently completed a series of tests, successfully intercepting UAVs, mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles (Defense Daily, April 15).
Lockheed Martin and Rafael on Monday said those earlier tests of the Iron Beam “proved the operational capability of the system.”
The demonstrations were conducted alongside the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s DDR&D as part of the first phase of a multi-year program to develop a “high-power ground and aerial laser system equipped to deal with long-range, high-intensity threats,” Rafael has said previously, noting the Iron Beam capability is intended to complement Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.
“This strategic teaming agreement serves as a force multiplier for Rafael and the Israeli market. We are working to ensure our customers receive the most advanced, effective, and best in class systems. This agreement will expand and diversify the capabilities we can offer to a variety of customers,” Rafael CEO Yoav Har-Even said in a statement. “Over the last three decades, alongside the DDR&D and the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Rafael has invested in laser research and development, resulting in Iron Beam and we expect to become the first operational laser defense system of its kind. This serves as a clear example of Israeli-made capabilities leading to strategic cooperation which will greatly benefit both sides.”
Lockheed Martin is also developing a 50-kilowatt laser system that is set to begin lab testing soon, which it plans to offer for the Army’s expected competition to field such a system on a Stryker vehicle, called the Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) effort (Defense Daily, Oct. 3).
Currently, the Army’s DE M-SHORAD program is focused on a prototyping effort with Kord Technologies providing the 50-kw laser system and Raytheon Technologies [RTX] serving as the laser module integrator.
In September, Lockheed Martin announced it has delivered a 300-kilowatt class laser capability to the Pentagon four months ahead of schedule, with the system set to support the Army’s effort to have tactical vehicle-mounted high energy laser prototypes by fiscal year 2024 (Defense Daily, Sept. 15).