Israel adopts Flight Guard missile protection system for national airliners

Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Airport Review

 

Based on the Elbit Systems C-MUSIC system, the Flight Guard is housed in a single aerodynamic pod located on the under-fuselage of the host aircraft. It requires only electricity from the aircraft to function. Source: Elbit Systems

Israel has adopted the Flight Guard missile protection system to protect its national airliners from the threat of manportable air defence systems (MANPADS), the Israeli Air Force (IAF) disclosed on 5 November.

Flight Guard utilises the Elbit Systems Commercial Multi-Spectral Infrared Countermeasures (C-MUSIC) system adapted for the mission under the Israeli government's SkyShield programme.

The system's roll-out across the nation's airlines follows a successful series of trials conducted earlier in the year. In February, the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), the Civil Aviation Authority at the Ministry of Transport, and Elbit Systems trialled the podded system aboard a Boeing 737 testbed in the south of the country against real surface-to-air threats.

"This is one of the biggest experiments ever conducted in Israel," Adi Dar, executive vice-president and general manager of Elbit Systems' Electro-Optics division was quoted by the IAF as saying. "They examined the system against all relevant threats, most of which I cannot elaborate on, but I can say that the system was successful in every scenario. Flight Guard is one of the biggest and most complex projects ever undertaken at Elbit and in Israel, and we are excited and very pleased with the results of the trial".

According to the IAF, installation is taking place across the country's airliner fleets in accordance with contracts signed just prior to the trials, although it did not disclose further details. Previously, company officials have told IHS Jane's that the airlines would likely fit the system during the aircraft's normal maintenance cycle so as to avoid any inconvenience and to minimise expenses.

The system is self-contained and housed on the underside fuselage in a single aerodynamic and unobtrusive pod, and so is relatively easy to install. It requires only electricity from the host aircraft meaning that there are no complicated integration issues, and its light weight and compact size mean it is able to be fitted to just about all of the passenger jet types operated by Israel, from small regional jets to the Boeing 747.

Flight Guard/C-MUSIC is a passive system that employs a forward-looking infrared missile-tracking camera and an infrared, ultra-violet, or radar missile-approach warning system sensor to detect a missile launch in the very early stages of an attack. Once detected, a laser is fired at the missile, jamming its seeker and causing it to be diverted away from the aircraft.

The Israeli government took the decision to protect its airliners in this way following a failed attempt by terrorists to bring down an El Al jet that had just departed Mombasa in Kenya in 2002.

The Israel Missile Defense Organization, in co-operation with the Civil Aviation Authority at the Ministry of Transport and the project's main contractor, Elbit Systems, earlier this year completed a series of tests on the Flight Guard system that protects passenger aircrafts against shoulder-fired missiles. The government's programme to protect its airliners is known as SkyShield. (Elbit Systems)