Biden saw defense technology at the airport, including the Iron Dome, a new laser-based steel pole.

US President Joe Biden gave a demonstration tour of Israel’s multi-layered air defense system at the Defense Ministry’s Ben Gurion Airport shortly before a dignitary reception.

On display at the airport are a long-range bow, a medium-range David Sling, a short-range Iron Dome and a high-powered laser interception system in development dubbed the Iron Beam.

Iron Beam is designed to work with systems like Iron Dome and shoot small projectiles.

Israel hopes to work with Washington to further develop and deploy the system, including US investment in the Iron Beam project.

Shortly before visiting the show, Biden was given a secret briefing by Defense Secretary Benny Gantz and other security officials.

In an unsourced report from Channel 12 News, Israeli security officials detailed some of what Biden was told. Much of the focus, unsurprisingly, was on Iran.

Among the main points presented to the president are said to be the billions of dollars that Iran spends on developing and equipping new weapons and distribution of arms to various proxy groups in the region, and the details of which group and which weapons it has acquired.

Gantz also outlined to Biden a list of security agreements, some of which are new, between Israel and states in the region that are not part of the Abraham Accords. He has asked for US help to advance these agreements and eventually make them public, the report said.

The report also indicated that the much-discussed regional air defense alliance between the United States and Israel will soon include naval and cyber defense.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Biden was shown a video showing the capabilities of Israel’s various air defense systems.

The Iron Dome visit boosted US efforts to get Israel to fund more missiles for the system after last year’s war with terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip.

“During your administration, Mr. President, security cooperation in the region has been strengthened and expanded like never before, and Israel is grateful for this, as well as the United Nations’ security support, including a billion dollars to replenish the Iron Dome divers,” he told Biden, according to a reading from his office.

At the site, Biden also spoke with Danny Gold, the former head of the department’s missile program, who oversaw Iron Dome development.

Biden was also given a piece of an unmanned aerial vehicle that was shot down in a series of tests in March.

The US president is expected to announce his approval for US defense industry officials to begin talks with their Israeli counterparts about steel beam purchases, a senior US official told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

While efforts are being made to create an integrated air defense network for Israel to cooperate with its Arab allies against Iran, the United States official said that the initiative is still in progress, but Biden stated that he is looking at some technologies for Israel. For such cooperation, it is exported to some regional partners in the “Node”.

Gantz told Biden that potential military cooperation in the region “includes many countries that want to promote stability and lasting peace.”

“The U.S.-led strengthening of security stability in the region is a prerequisite for both economic development and human rights, and I am confident that under your leadership and with all U.S. security forces, we will continue to enhance it in all areas – air, sea, land and cyber,” Gantz said. .

He added, “The alliance between Israel and the United States is stronger than ever, and Israel is confident that the president will take the necessary steps to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

“The cooperation and close coordination between the United States and Israel is further proof of the important strategic cooperation between the two countries,” Israel Defense Forces chief Aviv Kohavi told Biden in a readout.

“The strategic relationship between the military is a key pillar for maintaining security stability and dealing with common challenges in the Middle East,” Kohavi said. ” referring to Tehran’s nuclear program.

He added that the Defense Force will “strive to create a variety of new opportunities for cooperation in the air, sea and land.”

The Iron Beam, which is being developed with the Rafale weapons manufacturer, is not intended to replace the Iron Dome or Israel’s other air defense systems, but to supplement and complete them, hitting small projectiles and leaving the larger ones for stronger missile-based batteries.

Hundreds of millions of shekels have been earmarked for the final stages of development and testing, where the system will be placed on the border with the Gaza Strip. It is not clear when the first deployment will be.

According to the Ministry of Defense, as long as there is a constant source of energy for the beam, there is no danger of running out of ammunition. Officials hailed it as a “game-changer” in the fight against projectile attacks.

A disadvantage of the laser system is that it does not perform well in low visibility conditions, including heavy cloud cover or other adverse weather conditions. As a result, the ministry intends to install the system on airplanes, which would help overcome this limitation by placing the system above the cloud, although that is still a few years away, ministry officials said.

Biden landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday for his first trip to Israel as president. After visiting the defense site, he headed to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem.

Biden will spend 48 hours in Israel and the West Bank, attending bilateral meetings with Israeli leaders as well as the opening ceremony of the Maccabiah Games, a visit to a Palestinian hospital in East Jerusalem and meetings with the Palestinian Authority. President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

He will then fly directly to Saudi Arabia to attend a summit of regional Arab leaders, known as the GCC+3, before returning to the US on Sunday.

Jacob Majid contributed to this report.