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Defense & Security · Recorded milestone

Laser air defence

Recorded year2025

High-energy lasers shoot down drones and rockets; Rafael delivered the first operational Iron Beam laser to Israel in December 2025.

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Built on

Stored-program computerRecorded · 1948requires
LaserRecorded · 1960enables
MicroprocessorRecorded · 1971requires
Solid-state phased-array antennasRecorded · 1980enables
Iron Dome rocket defenceRecorded · 2011enables

Led to

Orbital laser debris sweepersForecast · ~2055enables

Sources & evidence

Additional source

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.