An Israeli system that protects aircraft from surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and shoulder-fired rockets has passed a NATO test, said maker Elbit Systems in an announcement on November 23.
The trial took place in Germany in October, when multi spectral infrared countermeasures (MUSIC) were installed on an Airbus C295 aircraft as part of a joint project by the manufacturer and Airbus Defense and Space (Spain). The results of the successful test could open the way for the technology to be adopted by NATO’s 28 members.
MUSIC is a high-performance, directed infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) system, which is integrated with passive warning systems installed on an aircraft. The system, which uses a laser to jam incoming heat-seeking missiles, is already installed on some Israeli civilian airliners.
Elbit’s statement noted the MUSIC family of systems has been successfully tested by several countries, and its versions are operational on 20 aircraft models, including military and commercial helicopters as well as other fixed-wing aircraft.
November 27, 2015
