Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael SecurityShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeThe Iron Beam laser system: 100 kilowatts and a range of 10 kilometers. Credit: Defense MinistrSome were used in this year's war, but the interception rate is still unclear. Will the startup Esh-Tech provide the answer?Oded Yaron05:33 PM • July 23 2026 IDTIn the last week of this year's 40-day war with Iran, an alarming statistic was recorded: One in every four missiles launched at Israel penetrated its air defense. After more than a decade of Israelis getting used to Iron Dome intercepting nearly every threat, the challenges from the air over the past year and a half have only increased – strategically, technologically and economically. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel start-upIron DomeRafaelElbitIsrael technologyIDFCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesU.S.-Saudi DealIranGazaPalestinian AuthorityLindsey GrahamIsrael ElectionsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastCheap Solution or Science Fiction? Israel's Laser Race Against IranWhat Do Israelis Actually Talk About in 2026?When Discussing Hummus and History, Don't Erase My Mizrahi Family'Israel Can't Just Pour Billions Into PR and Expect Its U.S. Image to Improve'Relying Less on Fighter Jets? Israel Weighs Massive Cruise Missile PurchaseRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Most Optimistic Israeli in Jerusalem Is Leaving the CountryAs Ground Invasion Looms, U.S. and Iran Want Wild-card Israel Out of the FightThe Original Ozempic Society of Ancient RomeBetween Messi and Milei: How Argentina Became Israel's Team at the World CupDemocrats Rejected U.S. Aid to Israel, and AIPAC Couldn't Stop Them'Choose Hope': Natalie Portman Backs Arab-Jewish Party Ahead of Israeli Election