Designed To Protect Airliners From Portable Ground-Launched Missiles

An unnamed Asia-Pacific county has awarded a contract valued at approximately $26.5 million to Elbit Systems to supply commercial multi-spectral infrared countermeasures (C-MUSIC) systems to be implemented onboard a wide body jet aircraft. The contract will be completed over a two-year period.

Based on Elbit Systems’ MUSIC family of Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) systems for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, C-MUSIC is an advanced countermeasure system that uses advanced fiber laser-directed infrared countermeasure technology to protect mid to large size airliners against heat-seeking shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, also known as man portable air defense systems (MANPADs).

Elbit Systems MUSIC family of DIRCM system integrated with the advanced Passive Airborne Warning System (PAWS) IR based missile warning system has undergone extensive testing with very successful results. Recently Elbit Systems, in cooperation with Airbus Military, participated in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) testing one of the MUSIC family of DIRCM systems with excellent results. The MUSIC family of DIRCM systems is used by many customers worldwide on a wide range of small, medium and large aircraft platforms.

“This contract is another major milestone for Elbit Systems, providing evidence of the high quality and reliability of our DIRCM Systems”, said Elad Aharonson, General Manager of Elbit Systems ISTAR Division. “We are proud to have been chosen by another customer in the Asia-Pacific region, which is an important market for us. C-MUSIC provides effective self-protection against IR-seeking weapons that pose a growing threat for aviation, as the proliferation and capabilities of MANPADs continue to advance. We hope more customers will follow in choosing our cutting-edge DIRCM solutions.”

(Images provided with Elbit Systems news release)

FMI: www.elbitsystems.com