Israel’s Elbit reveals military contract to put high-powered laser weapon on aircraft

(Seth J. Frantzman – Breaking Defense) Israel’s Elbit Systems recently revealed it has received a contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to put its high-powered laser system on military aircraft. Company President and CEO Bezhalel Machlis disclosed the deal, inked in late 2025, on Tuesday during discussion of the company’s 2025 year-end results, which included slides describing a fixed-wing-mounted system called XCalibur and a version for helicopters called Sting. Machlis described the laser solution as economical in an era of asymmetric warfare, meaning that rather than spending huge amounts on missile air defenses to stop cheap drones, one can spend “cents of electricity” to down threats. – Israel’s Elbit reveals military contract to put high-powered laser weapon on aircraft – Breaking Defense