While PM Bennett previously said system would be deployed in trial on Gaza border within the year, officials say such a step is at least a few years off
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Thursday his office would be signing a contract in the coming days to begin procurement of a laser air defense system to protect Israel against rockets and UAVs.
“We are at the start of the journey. It will take time, it isn’t a short process, but we will get it done in the shortest amount of time possible,” Gantz told reporters.
His comments poured cold water on Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s announcement last month that Israel would deploy the system within the year.
The ministry has been testing the laser-based defense system for several years, shooting down a drone with it last year. Its research and development department initially planned to deploy the anti-missile system by 2024, but the military has pushed for an earlier deployment.
This was apparently driven by concerns that in a future conflict, the military would not have sufficient interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome and other air defense systems to shoot down incoming rockets, missiles and drones.
According to the head of the ministry’s research and development team, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yaniv Rotem, the ground-based system will be ready within a “single-digit” number of years.
“We are completely ready to make the order… and begin full-scale development, which means finishing development and initial procurement,” Rotem said.
Gantz said hundreds of millions of shekels would be allocated to the final development stages and trial phase, in which the system will be placed on the border with the Gaza Strip, and hundreds of millions more shekels at the next stage, subject to progress in the trial.
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