FamousAgg said:

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I get what you are saying but still, we give them almost $4 Billion a year in aid.

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Unlike the other 99% of foreign aid, this is worth every penny

This seems extremely necessary. Iran is weeks away from having a fully armed nuclear arsenal.

I think we make out good giving 3-4 billion each year to Israel. There are other costs defending a country besides just equipment costs. We chip in while they hold the front line for them and us.

Texas12&0 said:

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I think we make out good giving 3-4 billion each year to Israel. There are other costs defending a country besides just equipment costs. We chip in while they hold the front line for them and us.

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No sir. Just another in a long list of excuses to steal from middle class Americans.

Rossticus said:

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No. We're not paying for it. We're just authorizing it. Israel is paying.

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Israel is paying for it with the $50B in military aid we have given them.

Colonel Kurtz said:

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This seems extremely necessary. Iran is weeks away from having a fully armed nuclear arsenal.

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Unfortunately, most dont see the satire. They actually believe this. Its all over the threads about US bombing Iran.

We bombed Iran to retaliate against them for supporting Hamas. The sheep were just told it was to stop an imminent nuke threat, which obviously worked...even better than Iraq WMDs.

Texas12&0 said:

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I think we make out good giving 3-4 billion each year to Israel. There are other costs defending a country besides just equipment costs. We chip in while they hold the front line for them and us.

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You can't spell Jerusalem without USA.

Rossticus said:

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No. We're not paying for it. We're just authorizing it. Israel is paying.

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We gave Israel $8.7-billion in military aid in 2023 and another $3.8-billion annually beginning 2024 and running through 2028, but sure, Israel is paying.

We give Israel "Foreign Military Grants" with which they can only buy American made defense equipment. Does that really count as "buying" products? Or are we just giving them military hardware with extra steps?

https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-israel

PaulsBunions said:

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We give Israel "Foreign Military Grants" with which they can only buy American made defense equipment. Does that really count as "buying" products? Or are we just giving them military hardware with extra steps?

https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-israel

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Don't care. Close ally.
Only friend in the Middle East with that level of trust.
Everybody else is against them so we should be for them.
Etc.

Israel has a Universal Healthcare System that provides abortions for its citizens. Why should we fund their defense when they murder their own unborn children? Seems like a nation with 38T of debt should have better priorities.

Israel apparently has mastered lasers to reliably take out missiles and drones for $3 a shot instead of a 10k missiles. Imagine one of those around each of our air bases or major cities. Our relationship with Israel is definitely a two way street. They test and improve our equipment and teach us how to fight in many cases.

It's a remarkable system and they are getting some good PR for it but Iron Beam, David's Sling etc. have been in some use for a couple years I think.

Quote:

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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rafael hailed the delivery as the beginning of a new era. "Today marks a new era in air defense," the company wrote. "Rafael has officially delivered the Iron Beam laser system to the IDF the world's first operational high-power laser interceptor. Iron Beam proved itself in extensive trials, successfully intercepting rockets, mortars, and UAVs."

The company emphasized that Iron Beam now joins Israel's multi-layered defense array alongside Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow. "This is more than a technological breakthrough," the statement added. "It's a fundamental shift in the defense equation maximum precision, superior efficiency, negligible cost per interception. From vision to reality. Welcome to the laser era."

Military analysts note that the integration of Iron Beam addresses long-standing challenges faced by missile-based air defenses, particularly during prolonged or high-intensity conflicts. Traditional interceptors are expensive, finite, and vulnerable to saturation attacks. Lasers, by contrast, offer effectively unlimited magazines as long as power is available.

Although the December 2025 delivery marks Iron Beam's formal entry into regular operational service, the system has already seen combat use. In late October 2024, during intense exchanges along Israel's northern border, a lower-powered, interim laser system successfully intercepted at least 40 Hezbollah drones launched from Lebanon.
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The urgency behind Iron Beam's accelerated development is deeply tied to the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive, coordinated assault that included thousands of rockets and drones aimed at overwhelming Israel's defenses.
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Lt. Col. Y., head of the high-power laser branch at MAFAT, said Iron Beam is a ground-based, 100-kilowatt weapon systemthe first of its kind in the world to enter regular operational service. "The system proved effective in intercepting rockets, mortar bombs, and UAVs at ranges of up to 10 kilometers," he said, adding that its performance exceeded expectations during trials.

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All 3 systems, Iron Beam, David's Sling and Arrow are at least representative of what the US armed forces should also have deployment plans for. Everything I have read about the Arrow is that it is actually much better than the Patriot PAC3 system (and built by the same US contractors mostly) which is why the Israeli's were willing to donate more patriots to Ukraine last year, even amid their war with Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran etc.

The Israeli's are (by necessity) better at air defense systems than anyone on the planet, imho.