Concerned about an influx of rogue and unaccounted for weaponry due to the fall of Libya and other Arab Nation unrest, Israel announced that it will be accelerating the deployment of missile defense systems to Israeli based carriers. Full implementation is expected to be finished sometime in 2013.
El Al and other Israeli carriers are working with local developers to install systems that would essentially blind an incoming heat seeking missle and prevent it from reaching the aircraft. Considering the area where Israeli aviation operates the majority of its flights, they are relatively easy targets.
Currently El Al uses a technology that dispenses flares in an attempt to distract missiles, much like a military aircraft would. But the new technology, called C-Music, is aimed to potentially replace the older self defense systems.
I’ve never realized that this existed until I read the press release today. Apparently the components take up about the size of a bath tub and are attached to the exterior of the aircraft. So in the future, as you see El Al aircraft sitting on the tarmac or at a gate, take a look to see if they are carrying the new technology.
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