Sources inform “Globes” that the development of the Flight Guard anti-missile system for civil aircraft for El Al (TASE:ELAL), Arkia Airlines, and Israir, has been delayed.
The reason is that the Ministry of Defense has not transferred the promised budget to Flight Guard's developer IAI-Elta Electronics Industries. Flight Guard was chosen as the most suitable system for Israeli civil aircraft.
The Knesset Subcommittee for Security Perception of the Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee, headed by former Minister of Transport Ephraim Sneh (Labor), discussed the installation of advanced technologies, and ordered the transfer of NIS 6 million for development and licensing. The money will come from the Ministry of Transport budget, but its transfer to contractors will be through the Ministry of Defense.
Developing and licensing a civilian version of Elta's system is not proceeding at the hoped-for pace, despite the rising threat to Israeli passenger planes. Yesterday. Thailand's prime minister confirmed that a man had been arrested in Bangkok on suspicion of planning to fire a shoulder-fired missile at an El Al plane. Last month, the US revealed an attempt to smuggle Russian-built shoulder-fired missiles to the US for the purpose of attacking aircraft. These incidents follow last November's attempt to shoot down an Arkia plane taking off from Mombasa, Kenya, with two Strella missiles.
Sources close to the Elta project claimed today that the budget has not been transferred, forcing the company to finance the project from its own sources. "We hope that the money will soon be repaid," they said.
Other sources close to the project said there was opposition to the Elta system. Elta has not yet been asked to send a quote to El Al for the first systems.
The Israel Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) also has reservations about Flight Guard. The sources hinted that the Ministry of Defense wanted to invest in Rafael's competing Britening system, which uses a directional infra-red countermeasure system to disrupt incoming missiles, instead of the decoy flares used by Flight Guard.
"Elta's system already exists," said the sources. "The Ministry of Defense wants to invest in another system that could be developed into a new defense system for Israel Air Force planes."
Sneh confirmed today that a budget would also be sent to Rafael.
El Al will be the world's first airline to equip its fleet with electronic countermeasures to protect, following assessments that terrorist organizations will try to shoot down Israeli passenger planes.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on September 25, 2003