(En) Up, up and away at home

Lt. B., 21, who made aliyah from New Jersey in 2009 to serve in the IDF, will receive the coveted pilot's wings this week • "I knew from a young age that Israel was an amazing country, and that I was destined to fall in love with it," he says.

The Israel Air Force's newest group of pilots, Class 166, were all promoted to the rank of lieutenant on Monday, before they receive their coveted pilot's wings this Thursday.

"The rank you carry on your shoulders is a great privilege and also a great responsibility; it is a privilege to have been chosen from the best of the [nation's] youth, and at the same time it is an immense responsibility to ensure the continued existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state," Hatzerim Air Force base Commander Brig. Gen. Tal Kalman said on Monday.

Unlike recent previous graduating classes, there were no women in this class. More than half the graduates (54 percent) come from cities, 36% come from rural communities, and 10% hail from moshavim.

Lt. B., 21, who made aliyah from New Jersey in 2009 to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, will also be receiving his wings on Thursday. B.'s parents initially remained in the U.S. and supported him from afar, but two years ago they moved to Israel themselves, and will be among the proud parents at Thursday's ceremony.

The family's move to Israel brought them full circle.

"My mom is Israeli and served as a bureau chief at Hatzerim for five years before meeting my American dad, who was volunteering in the Negev. After they met she moved to the U.S., where I was born," B. said.

B. graduated from a religious high school in the U.S., and went straight to a year-long program at a military preparation school in the Golan Heights. The year gave him time to adjust to Israeli society, although he was already familiar with the country from his summer visits as a child.

"I knew from a young age that Israel was an amazing country, and that I was destined to fall in love with it," he said.

However, the move still proved difficult, despite his perfect Hebrew.

"There is a big difference between New Jersey and Israel, and it was hard for me to adjust, mainly due to cultural differences," he said. "There are good people in the both places, but in Israel the feeling is more familial, whereas in the U.S. things are more formal. It took me a long time to understand the mentality here."

B. said his friends in the pilots' course helped him deal with the language and social difficulties.

"One commander challenged me to read a book in Hebrew every month," he said. "I took up the task and read a lot, and my Hebrew improved dramatically."
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(Fr) Israël frappe la bande de Gaza après avoir subi des tirs de roquettes

Après deux mois de relative accalmie, la violence a de nouveau frappé la bande de Gaza. L'armée de l'air israélienne a annoncé avoir lancé des attaques aériennes, dans la nuit du dimanche 23 au lundi 24 juin, sur ce territoire palestinien, après avoir essuyé des tirs de roquettes plus tôt dans la soirée.

Ces raids interviennent presque sept mois jour pour jour après la mise en place d'une trêve, le 21 novembre, entre le parti Hamas, au pouvoir, et Israël. Cet accord avait été conclu au terme d'une semaine d'hostilités meurtrières. Depuis, des roquettes ont été tirées à plusieurs reprises sur le sud de l'Etat hébreu, des tirs la plupart du temps revendiqués par des groupes salafistes remettant en cause l'autorité du Hamas.

Les tirs de missiles de dimanche, qui visaient là encore le sud de l'Etat hébreu, n'ont fait ni dégât ni blessé, selon des sources militaires. Deux roquettes ont atteint le sol israélien, et deux autres ont été interceptées en vol par Iron Dome, le système de défense de l'armée.   En réponse, Tsahal a annoncé sur Twitter avoir ciblé avec succès "des infrastructures terroristes" de la bande de Gaza, d'où avaient été tirées les roquettes. Des témoins palestiniens ont pour leur part indiqué que ces raids aériens avaient touché des zones inhabitées, et n'avaient pas fait de blessé.

Dans un communiqué (en anglais), l'armée israélienne a imputé la responsabilité des tirs de roquettes, qui n'ont pas été pour le moment revendiqués, au mouvement islamiste Hamas. Le point de passage de Kerem Shalom, réservé au transit de marchandises entre Israël et la bande de Gaza, sera par ailleurs fermé jusqu'à nouvel ordre, précise le communiqué.
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(En) IAF strikes Gaza targets in response to rocket fire

Air force strikes arms depots, rocket launching site in response to six rockets fired towards Bnei Shimon, Netivot, Ashkelon regional council overnight; Ya'alon orders closing of Kerem Shalom, Erez crossings.

The air force struck what it said were two arms depots in the center of the Gaza Strip, a rocket launching site and a terror activity site in the southern part of the Strip overnight Sunday.
All targets were accurately hit, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said.

The air strikes came as retaliation for six rockets that were fired from Gaza into the South late Sunday night. Four rockets were fired towards the Bnei Shimon council area and Netivot. The Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted two rockets fired towards the Ashkelon Regional Council. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.

As a result of the rocket fire, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon also ordered the closing of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings between Israel and Gaza for the transport of commercial goods.

"Code Red" sirens were heard in the regional councils of Rahat, Netivot, Bnei Shimon and Lahavim.
The rockets are thought to have been fired by Islamic Jihad but no organization has taken credit for the attack yet.The rockets have shattered a lengthy period of calm enjoyed by civilians in southern Israel.
Early on Wednesday morning, "Code Red" warning sirens sounded in Ashkelon and surrounding areas.
Shortly after the sirens went off, three rockets fell in Palestinian areas, Israel Radio reported. The rocket attack marked the first time Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have attempted to strike Israel for nearly two months.

About 20 rockets have been fired by militant groups this year. Several rockets were fired during US President Barack Obama’s visit in March.

The rocket fire broke a months-long period during which the Hamas regime in Gaza restrained elements in the coastal enclave, bringing about quiet. Since Operation Pillar of Defense in November, there have been few incidents of rocket fire.
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(En) First Israeli Boeing 737 Flys C-MUSIC DIRCM Self-Protection System

Elbit Systems is presenting the newest member of the MUSIC Directional Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) systems at the 2013 Paris Airshow. Defense-Update reports.

The new, compact system dubbed ‘mini-MUSIC’ is designed to protect small rotary and fixed-wing aircraft against heat seeking Ground to Air Missiles (MANPADS) threats. In 2012 the company has demonstrated the C-MUSIC pod system in flight, mounted on a Boeing 707 flying testbed. More recently the system was installed on a Boeing 737 passenger jet to be used for type certification. The system has been selected for the Israeli national program for protection of Israel’s commercial fleet, installing MUSIC DIRCMs on Boeing B737, B747, B757, B767, B777 and Airbus A320 platforms. While all relevant aircraft will be fitted with the A-kit attachments, MUSIC DIRCM systems will be provided to those aircraft flying to high threat destinations or such locations reported to be high-risk, based on short-term assessments.

The proliferation of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, particularly with terrorist groups operation in Asia, Africa and Latin America has increased the demand for DIRCM, protection helicopters, medium and large transport planes, as well as VIP aircraft and heads of state transportation aircraft (VVIP). Several manufacturers are currently developing similar systems, including Northrop Grumman, Selex ES, BAE Systems and Raytheon – all developing lightweight DIRCM systems under the CIRCM . The Israeli system is considered the most mature of these systems

Elbit System’s DIRCM systems are providing optimal solutions for the ever-growing MANPADS threat. Mini-MUSIC is a derivative of the flight-tested MUSIC, packed in a single compact and lightweight package. The MUSIC family now includes four systems providing protection for all different aircraft types: MUSIC designed for protection of medium to large rotary and fixed-wing aircraft; C-MUSIC – the world’s first DIRCM system in production for commercial jet aircraft; J-MUSIC – for distributed installation for aircraft such as military transport, air refueling tankers, business jets, etc. and mini-MUSIC – for small and medium sized platforms.

The system comprises a fiber-laser based DIRCM housed in a sealed turret for maximized reliability. A missile warning system provides the initial detection of incoming threats. When a threatening missile is detected, the warning is passed to the DIRCM that then directs a thermal tracker to acquire and track the threat. A powerful laser beam is then fired accurately at the missile causing it to be deflected away from the aircraft.

Elbit Systems is under contract to provide MUSIC based DIRCMs for several customers, including the Italian Air Force for C130J, C27J and CSAR AW101 (together with our Italian partners at ELT), the KC-390 for EMBRAER and the Brazilian Air Force, VIP helicopters
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(Fr) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) présente son TaxiBot au Bourget

Alors que Safran et Honeywell annonçaient hier, la présentation de leur système de taxiage électrique (EGTS) lors du salon, Israel Aerospace industries présentera un système similaire concurrent : TaxiBot, le véhicule semi-robotisé conçu pour transporter des avions depuis l'aérogare vers les pistes.

Le système, qui aurait dépassé les attentes au cours des derniers tests effectués à Châteauroux, a commencé des tests avancés sur son étalonnage, sa préparation et sa certification à l'aéroport de Francfort ce mois-ci. Ces essais sont effectués sur un Boeing 737 de Lufthansa avec le soutien de Boeing et des représentants des autorités EASA et ACCI.

Après la certification, l'évaluation sur la mise en service sera effectuée sur des vols commerciaux au départ de l'aéroport de Francfort.
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(En) Elbit offers cockpit upgrade for aged Hercules - 10 Jun 2013

Elbit Systems has developed a cockpit upgrade package for the Lockheed Martin C-130H, describing its C-Suite Tactical design as enabling customers to meet demanding conditions in low-altitude operating environments.

By integrating aircraft sensors and systems, pilots are able to see real-time flight information projected on a head-up, head-down or helmet-mounted display, resulting in greater situational awareness and enhanced safety, Elbit says.

Key elements of the full upgrade package include a Northrop Grumman APN-241 terrain following/terrain avoidance system; a terrain awareness and warning system; and enhanced and synthetic vision systems (SVS). This combination, along with real-time reference to a digital terrain elevation database, enables accurate low-level flight in any condition and regardless of terrain or the presence of man-made obstacles, says Gil Russo, a senior director at Elbit's aerospace division.

The SVS, meanwhile, shows a 3-D synthetic image of the external environment on a flight display.

Elbit was recently awarded a contract by the Israeli defence ministry to upgrade the Israeli air force's C-130H transports. The modernisation project will extend the operational life of the aircraft and significantly improve their operational capability, particularly during precision flying, low-level night flight and operations in adverse weather conditions.

The effort will replace obsolete analogue cockpit systems, which have become unreliable and costly to maintain after four decades of intensive service.
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(En) Israeli air force to get Heron UAS mission trainer - 10 Jun 2013

Israel Aerospace Industries is in the advanced development phase for an unmanned air system mission trainer (UMT) to be employed by the Israeli air force, an operator of its Heron system.

According to the company, the UMT will assist the service in meeting the growing demand for well-trained operational crews by providing training that complies with the increasing complexity and variety of UAS missions.

High-fidelity training and simulation features range from a basic internal pilot and operator training system to full mission crew and multi-team training, including accurate payload models for electro-optical/infrared, radar and signals intelligence sensors. The system uses an instructor operating system to support planning, briefing, debriefing and trainee progress monitoring, IAI says.

Shaul Shahar, general manager of the company's Malat division, says use of the UMT will reduce training costs and improve personnel operational skills.

IAI has already delivered various UMT versions to foreign customers, and can adapt its technology to support any type of UAV and payload.
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