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Israel's Airliners to Get Countermeasures Suites
A devastating attack launched by Al-Qaeda in Mombasa Kenya in 2002, targeting a tourist resort on the beach and an Israeli charter aircraft taking off from the nearby airfield, triggered an Israeli race to equip its aircraft with missile countermeasures before potential future attacks occur. Although such countermeasures were available for military platforms and VIP transports, certification and funding issues delayed the implementation of the program until late 2003, when the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Defense embarked on the full-scale Civil Aircraft Protection Plan. The program calls for near-term installation of proven countermeasures (radar-based Missile Warning System [MWS] and flare dispensers) and the development of Directed Infra-Red Counter-Measures (DIRCM) for the long term. Installation of such countermeasures is planned for all Israeli commercial aircraft, but systems will be deployed initially with those flying into higher-threat locations.
The IAI/IMI FlightGuard flare-based self-protection system is planned for initial installations this month on EL-AL airplanes, after a series of successful tests was conducted by IAI (Hall 3, Stand E9) and IMI on a Boeing 737 platform. Elta and IMI are collaborating on a joint venture to develop and market this system, which integrates Elta's active MWS and IMI's flare dispensers and new "black" flares. These rapid-burning countermeasures are operating in the invisible infrared range and therefore provide no visual indication on activation. As they are consumed while airborne, the flares do not present a fire hazard on the ground.
Certification of FlightGuard continues with Israel's Civil Aviation Authority and is expected for conclusion later this year, opening the road for further installations of the system on U.S.-bound flights and its export to foreign airlines. The Israeli approval should suffice for the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority, which has a mutual certification amendment with its Israeli counterpart. To prepare for such a development, IAI has already teamed with a U.S. company that will market and install FlightGuard systems in the United States.
—Tamir Eshel
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