Новости 45-го авиасалона в Бурже

15 June 2003
El-Op counters terrorist SAM threat with MUSIC

By Peter Felstead, janes.com Editor

In a response to the terrorist threat to airliners stemming from the high proliferation of shoulder-fired infra-red-guided surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), Elbit Systems subsidiary El-Op has developed the Multi-Spectral Infra-red Countermeasure (MUSIC) system, elements of which are making their public debut in the Israeli pavilion.

At the heart of the MUSIC system is a new El-Op-developed laser technology that emits a narrow, high-energy laser beam towards an incoming missile to jam its guidance system. Key enabling technologies of the new laser are its compactness, allowing it to be easily integrated into an aircraft without creating any performance penalties, and the fact that it generate enough energy to counter a wide range of IR-guided SAMs. The other key components of the systems are the missile warning system (MWS); the forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) device that acquires and tracks the missile; a high-speed turret that also facilitates accurate tracking of the hostile missile; and a system processor that co-ordinates the actions of all the MUSIC elements.

Charting the programme's progress, Director of Marketing and Business Development of El-Op's E-O Systems business Unit Andrew Lovett said: "We've built all the components, and we're now at the integration stage. We've tested that the laser is capable of doing what we want it to do, and we expect to be able to market a model following FAA certification by the end of 2004."

MUSIC's laser system is eye-safe, and the fact that — unlike other aircraft protection systems — it does not dispense chaff or flare rounds (which could cause significant problems on the ground in a civilian environment) suggests that FAA approval will not be a problem.

Lovett explained that El-Op had conducted a significant number of simulations involving airliners being attacked while taking off and landing — including engagements by more than one SAM — and was satisfied that MUSIC could protect the aircraft in all of those scenarios.

El-Op is expecting to be able to provide MUSIC systems to international airlines "at no more cost than rival systems and probably less".


MUSIC's high-speed turret houses El-Op's uniquely compact, high-energy laser, which can disrupt the guidance systems of a broad range of IR-guided missiles. (Photo: P Felstead/Jane's)

20 June 2003
Countermeasures for airliners: not as simple as it seems

By Edward Downs, Editor, Jane's Avionics

In the aftermath of 9/11, the missile attack on a Israeli Arkiav flight in Mombassa during November 2002 and a number of terrorist alerts around the world's airports, manufacturers of missile countermeasures systems are ramping up their efforts in anticipation of large orders for the world's airline fleets. Systems fall into two broad categories: dispenser-based systems (flares) and directed energy systems (lamps or lasers). The former category includes the Elta/IMI Flight Guard and the latter the Northrop Grumman/BAE Systems Directional Infra Red Counter Measures (DIRCM) system.

While military aircraft almost exclusively employ countermeasures dispenser systems (CMDS), deploying chaff and/or flares to counter attacking missiles, this traditional solution is fraught with problems in the transition to the civilian environment. Expendables, by their very definition, are ejected from the aircraft, which raises a few points. Larger aircraft with widely spread engines, for example, can appear as multiple targets, requiring any flare 'shroud' to cover a large volume behind the aircraft that would potentially require a large number of flares to be deployed against any attack. Also, depending on the height of the aircraft at flare ejection, there would be a risk of burning flares hitting the ground around the airport; noting the position of many of the world's airports, this could pose a significant risk to the civilian population. This problem would not necessarily be solved by short-burn flares; with a screen height of 35/15ft during the critical take-off phase, airliners are at their most vulnerable when extremely close to the ground. Further, flares are most effective when the aircraft also manoeuvres to move out of the incoming missile's field of view (FoV), which is not feasible with respect to a heavily laden airliner. However, flares have a proven track record against the type of shoulder-launched missile currently favoured by the world's terrorists and such systems are cheaper to buy than the latest directed-energy systems and would present a lesser drag (and therefore range) penalty to a civil airliner.

The latest laser-based DIRCM systems, which seem to be the favoured solution for the majority of manufacturers, including Rafael (Britening) and Elbit (MUSIC), employ no expendables, so are a 'cleaner' solution for the civil world but are not without their own limitations. They are more expensive and would require multiple turrets to protect the largest Boeing and Airbus ultra long-range types. There are also some questions regarding the effectiveness of these systems against multiple incoming missiles. Furthermore, the increase in drag on a large airliner resulting from two or more DIRCM turrets protruding into the air stream would be costly to operators in terms of fuel burn and thus maximum range. When modern airliners are designed and acquired with particular ATS routes in mind, this effect should not be disregarded.

As a final point in considering the fitment of countermeasures systems on airliners, integration and operation issues should be carefully considered. While no-one would dispute the requirement for a fully automatic system with no requirement for reaction (and thus delay) by the crew, should another aircraft fall under the control of terrorists, the job of fighter combat air patrols around major cities might be undermined by the rogue aircraft's inherent defensive capability.

http://server3.janes.com/docs/paris/images/daily/Elta.jpg [zero size or time out]
The Elta/IMI FlightGuard is based on Elta's Missile Warning System (MWS) and IMI's Counter Measures Dispenser System (CMDS) (Photo: P Allen/Jane's)

19 June 2003

More RBS 70 SHORADS and BOLIDE missiles for Australia

The Australian government has ordered a supply of the new BOLIDE surface-to-air missile for the RBS 70 short-range air defence system (SHORADS) from Saab Bofors Dynamics. This follows a follow-on order for further RBS 70 units placed in May 2003.

Together the value of the contracts is put at SEK600 million. The BOLIDE missile is a joint development by Saab Bofors Dynamics of Sweden and Germany's STN Atlas. It is used on both the man-portable RBS 70 SHORADS and mechanised ASRAD-R systems ordered by Finland last year.