Israel isn’t the most popular nation globally—unless the topic turns to military hardware. This country, roughly the size of New Jersey, has now become the world’s eighth-largest arms exporter, with record-breaking sales of $15 billion in 2024.
Ranking behind Britain but ahead of Turkey and South Korea in international arms sales, governments are flocking to Israel to buy combat-proven weapons, particularly rockets from its renowned Iron Dome missile defense system.
Europe accounts for the majority of these sales—Germany and Finland lead the way, though India, Thailand, and Greece are also buyers. Even Muslim-majority countries like Morocco, the UAE, and Bahrain purchase missiles, drones, and cybersecurity systems from the Jewish state.
The record sales coincide with . The Iron Beam is a laser weapon capable of destroying incoming missiles, mortar rounds, and drones up to 6 miles away for as little as $2 per interception. By contrast, conventional interceptor missiles typically cost between $100,000 and $1 million each.
“With the laser, the only cost is electricity,” says Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Rafael Defense Industries, the manufacturer of . “It’s around $1 to $2—cheaper than a hot dog in New York.”
While conventional missile interceptors are fast, they still take time to act. A laser travels at the speed of light.
“We’ve already used it against Hezbollah’s UAVs in the north and missiles from Iran. It works,” notes University of Tel Aviv professor Isaac Ben-David. “The most critical advantage is that once you spot the target, it’s intercepted at light speed. It takes a fraction of a second for the laser to destroy it.”
After decades of failed tests by multiple nations, Israel is the first country to successfully deploy this weapon in wartime. One of those who oversaw its development was Isaac Ben-David, a professor and former head of research and development at Israel’s Ministry of Defense.
Israel will deploy the first Iron Beam systems in the north, where Hezbollah rockets fired in take less than a minute to cross the Israeli border. Its applications will later expand to include ships and specific air bases.
“This is just the start of a new era,” Steinitz stated. “In time—maybe five years—it will allow us to shoot down every hostile airborne object around Israel. It’s truly a game-changer.”
Rafael developed the technology in partnership with U.S.-based Lockheed Martin and with $1.2 billion from . Steinitz says the technology is already being shared with the U.S. Army’s directed energy program.
“We can’t do without the United States,” he said. “But sometimes, in a partnership, even the smaller party can contribute something valuable to the larger one.”