Lockheed Martin and Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems have just signed a "teaming deal" for the development, testing, and production of High Energy Laser Weapon Systems (HELWS) in both the United States and Israel, according to a press release by Lockheed Martin.
The assets that RAFAEL and the Israeli Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) of the Ministry of Defense made for the IRON BEAM project will be the basis for the upcoming joint development. The collaboration, Lockheed Martin says, will focus on creating a variation of the system for the American market and other markets.
The IRON BEAM project was started by the Israeli Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) of the Ministry of Defense after years of cooperative development between RAFAEL and DDR&D. Several system tests conducted over the previous year demonstrated the system's operational viability.
IRON BEAM is a 100 kW-class high-energy laser weapon system (HELWS) that will offer engagement at the speed of light. It is expected to be the first ground-based air defense system to protect against threats like rockets, mortars, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
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