Israeli forces could soon deploy laser weapons to the battlefield, local media reported on Sunday.

The Iron Beam system is a directed-energy weapon air defence system that fires powerful beams of light that can destroy fast-moving projectiles. Built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Iron Beam was first unveiled in 2014 but is yet to see action in Israel.

It was previously scheduled to enter service in 2025. Following the outbreak of war this week between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli Ministry of Defence is now expediting Iron Beam’s deployment and beginning tests to get it into operation much sooner.

It is unclear how long it will take, although Dr. Yehoshua Kalisky of the Institute for National Security Studies thinks the system could be operational imminently.

“The laser works,” he said. “The only problem that I see is to integrate it into all the early warning systems. It’s not a standalone system. It must be coupled with all the air defence.

“If it’s not integrated then it would be useless.”

Iron Beam was conceived as a cheaper, flexible alternative to work alongside the famous Iron Dome missile defence system.

“The cost of kill is small,” said Uzi Rubin, a missile defence expert at the Israeli Ministry of Defence. Instead of the interceptors fired by Iron Dome, which can cost $60,000 each, “you send a laser beam that costs just a few dollars”.

With no need for ammunition, Iron Beam isn’t subject to supply chain concerns. It is also smaller and lighter than Iron Dome, which makes it easier to move and to conceal.

“Unfortunately, there’s no free lunch,” Mr Rubin said. “With these advantages you pay heavily with disadvantages.”

Iron Beam cannot operate effectively in wet conditions—the more moisture in the atmosphere, the more water particles absorb the laser’s energy. Even in optimum conditions, the laser loses 30 to 40 percent of its potential energy to atmospheric moisture before hitting the target.

And unlike Iron Dome, Iron Beam requires a direct line of sight between the system and its target, making its placement far more critical. It also has a much slower rate of fire, requiring five seconds or so to transmit sufficient energy to destroy its target.

“If you’re facing a heavy salvo, you have to take it out with interceptor weapons,” Mr Rubin said. “Iron Beam is better for short range rockets in small numbers”. Against projectiles that fire short distances, like mortars, Iron Beam could be a huge improvement over missile defence systems that could put the operator’s own units at increased risk from shrapnel.

As of yet, how well Iron Beam performs on the battlefield is down to speculation. That could soon change if Defence Ministry engineers develop a way to integrate it into the wider system.

“Maybe they’re working on it tonight and tomorrow they will succeed,” said Dr. Kalisky. “I think it will be operational very soon.”