In Israel, a laser against incendiary balloons
Audio 02:30
Israeli soldiers arrive to put out a fire near the border with the Gaza Strip on August 25, 2020, triggered by incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian enclave.
Menahem KAHANA / AFP
By: Michel Paul
6 min
Dozens of acres of agricultural fields ablaze daily around the Gaza Strip.
This is the result of attacks with incendiary balloons and kites.
The Israeli Air Force retaliates.
The Palestinians in turn fire rockets.
The situation is explosive.
Israel is seeking to neutralize the balloons with new technology in an attempt to avoid escalation.
David against Goliath!
Michel Paul went at the invitation of the Israeli border police to a laser battery near Gaza.
Publicity
"Lahav gold", translated as "The blade of light", has just come into action.
It is a silent weapon.
The target: children's balloons inflated with helium, carrying incendiary wicks and in some cases homemade explosive devices.
We are in the command post of the experimental battery of this laser cannon, on a small hillock, just a kilometer from the Gaza Strip.
Explanations from General Yaakov Shabtai, the commander of the Israeli border police: “
It is a laser system for intercepting balloons and drones.
Today it is the safest system in the world.
It can only hit the goal we are aiming for without collateral damage.
In other words, if an airplane passes there, no problem, it will not be hit.
"
In the morning, a strong breeze arises from the sea in Gaza.
A wind that can blow balloons and incendiary kites for miles around the fields surrounding the Palestinian enclave.
Sergeant Nicole, laser battery operations manager: “
It can take about 5 minutes but also just 1 minute.
We brought down lots of balloons.
With the laser, it's crazy to see how the technology progresses.
It works great!
"
And according to Commander Micky Rosenfeld, Israel Police spokesperson, the results are conclusive: “
At this point we have had a 90% success rate in over a month of operational testing along the Strip. of Gaza.
We are now deployed facing the central part just one kilometer from the border and we are working day in and day out.
"
No ability to intercept rockets or missiles, but Professor Ami Ishaaya of the University of Beer-Sheva thinks that this laser cannon could mainly be used against drone attacks on civilian targets: “
The system is particularly interesting for commercial needs such as the protection of airports, oil platforms, strategic sites, prisons.
All places where offensive drones can be deployed.
"
But it is too expensive, at 2 million dollars a unit to neutralize balloons, the Israeli army is turning a deaf ear.
And this is the reason why the border police are responsible for experimenting with this new technology.
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Israel
Defense
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