(En - 17 Nov 2014 - News) Elbit will install anti-missile lasers on German Air Force planes

Elbit Systems will install its J-Music anti-missile laser protection system on German Air Force transport planes, the Israeli defense firm announced Monday.

Elbit was awarded the contract by Germany's DIEHL Defence company, and within a year, the system will be operational on new German A400M Airbus aircraft.

"Designed to protect large military and commercial aircraft against attacks by ground to air heat seeking man-portable missiles (MANPADS), the J-MUSIC systems, will be integrated into a multi-turret DIRCM (Direct Infra Red Counter-Measures) system, ensuring 360 degree protection of the aircraft," Elbit said in a statement.

"Elbit Systems has completed extensive testing of the J-MUSIC system and has already delivered systems to equip several types of aircraft to various customers," it added.

 

Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, said, “We are proud of our cooperation with DIEHL Defence on Direct Infrared Counter-Measures that has resulted in this initial contract," adding, "Our DIRCM systems provide effective protection to the growing threat of MANPADS, and we hope that additional customers will follow and select our systems as their preferred solution".

In February, the Defense Ministry and Elbit Systems announced the successful completion of a trial program to test C-Music, another Elbit laser protection system, for Israeli passenger aircraft.

The system works by detecting incoming missiles with an infrared censor, then firing a laser that disrupts the missile's navigation system, throwing it it off course, away from its intended target.

The Transportation Ministry chose C-Music to protect Israeli airliners.

The Defense Ministry's Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, the Israel Airports Authority, and Elbit Systems jointly developed the system.

"The experiments, carried out in southern Israel, were some of the most complex and sophisticated ever carried out in Israel," the Defense Ministry said at the time of the trial. "They simulated a range of threats that the C-Music system will have to deal with."

"C-Music is considered the most advanced system of its kind in the world, and will provide ultimate defense to planes," the ministry added.
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(En - 05 Nov 2014 - News) IAI inaugurates F-35 wing production line

 

Israel Aerospace Industries on Tuesday inaugurated its production line for the wings of the F-35 stealth fighter jet.

The automatic production line, in which tens of millions of dollars were invested, will build four pairs of wings per month, which will then be attached in the U.S. to the bodies of the aircraft.
Over the next decade, IAI will produce more than 800 pairs of wings, to be supplied to Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35. Deliveries will begin in 2015.

Another Israeli company, Elbit Systems, will produce helmets for F-35 pilots.

Israel has bought 19 F-35s for $2.75 billion, with deliveries expected to begin in 2016, and could soon order between 25 and 31 more of the planes, according to defense sources.

At a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the opening of the wing production line, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon praised the close ties between Israel and the U.S.

"The special relationship between the United States and Israel is stronger than any disagreement," Ya'alon said. "The U.S. has given Israel extensive assistance over the years, especially in the defense field, and it helps Israel meet the challenges it faces."

Ya'alon also mentioned his recent visit to Washington.

"I felt no cold shoulder when I was in Washington," Ya'alon said, referring to recent reports that he was shunned by top Obama administration officials during his trip.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro also spoke at Tuesday's ceremony, saying, "In today's world, with actors seeking to cause harm to both our countries, it's reassuring to know that the United States and Israel will always support each other and each other's security."

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