The US Army may invest $1.2bn to develop Iron Beam laser weapons to defend against drones, missiles and artillery shells

The US is watching Israel's Iron Beam system. The Ministry of Defence is ready to invest in laser weapons if they perform well.

Here's What We Know

After the Hamas attack, there was information about Israel's readiness to deploy the Iron Beam laser system. Later, a video of the alleged first combat use was published. The video actually turned out to be footage from a video game.

Nevertheless, the United States is waiting for Israel to use Iron Beam. In case of effective use, they are ready to invest. This was stated by Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Acquisition.

House Republicans are pushing for $14bn in aid to Israel. The administration of US President Joe Biden wants to ask Congress for $1.2bn to develop the Iron Beam system.

The US itself has several laser weapon projects. The US Army is working with Dynetics and Lockheed Martin. They want to develop a directed energy system that will provide defence against cruise missiles, artillery shells, mortar fire and drones. Two 300kW units were ordered last month with the option to order as many more.

Source: Defence News