Elbit Says There’s High Demand for Laser Interceptor in Development

Israel’s defense giant Elbit Systems Ltd. is in the very advanced stages of developing a high-energy laser system that will potentially provide a cost-effective way to counter aerial threats as countries across the Middle East grapple with the high cost of conventional interceptors.

“The system is way beyond its early program phase, currently in the detailed development stage, so its deployment on fighter jets and helicopters isn’t very far off,” Chief Executive Officer Bezhalel Machlis told Bloomberg in an interview without saying when exactly it would be operational.