Elbit Systems unveiled a new airborne laser demonstrator at the Eurosatory 2026 arms exhibition in France, showing for the first time a high-powered laser pod designed for helicopters. The detachable system is meant to give attack helicopters a new, mobile and relatively cheap interception layer against drones, cruise missiles and other threats, and could also be used against ground targets with a focused laser beam.
The project is being developed with investment from Israel’s Defense Ministry and Elbit, but no budget or timeline were disclosed. Company officials said the helicopter version is expected to mature before the planned laser system for fighter jets. Elbit already supplies the laser for the ground-based "Or Eitan" system with Rafael, but in airborne lasers it is among very few players worldwide, alongside Lockheed Martin.
Oded Ben David, Elbit’s chief technology officer at Elop, said the key breakthrough is fiber-laser technology. He said the system combines many laser units into one beam, adding that if 10 kilowatts are needed, “take 10 amplifiers,” and for 100 kilowatts, “take 100 amplifiers.” He also said the goal is to “break the crazy economic equation” in which a cheap drone is met with a missile costing many times more.
Ben David said airborne laser development is extremely complex because it requires precise target lock, beam stabilization, heat removal and miniaturization. He said airborne use is easier than ground use because high-altitude air is less turbulent. The helicopter system is not simply a smaller version of the fighter-jet pod, but a separate system still in development.
Elbit previously demonstrated airborne laser capability in a 2021 test, when a laser mounted on a Cessna shot down several drones over the Mediterranean. The company now sees helicopters as a promising platform for future operational laser defense.
