Odd Lots · Friday, September 4, 2026
Wayne Sanders described Israel's Iron Beam system, a directed energy weapon operating at approximately 150 kilowatts, as a leading operational testbed for laser technology. Its deployment and use in real-world scenarios provide valuable lessons learned for international partners regarding effectiveness, scalability, and integration with existing defense architectures.
“Yeah, Ironbeam is kind of leading the way, right? It's about, I think, if I'm not mistaken, it's about 150 kilowatts compared to our 50 kilowatts.”
“So when you start looking at how they deploy it, how they use it, some lessons learned that come from them, I think it is an operational testbed as they are being shot at in the use operationally to say, okay, I successfully deployed hit a Shahid-136 drone from this distance, how far away did I shoot it? How long did it take for me to actually get that thing to stop coming at me?”