Israel Matzav

Hamas warns airlines not to fly to Ben Gurion

Hamas says that it is targeting Israel's Ben Gurion Airport and is warning airlines not to fly there.

"In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben-Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," the statement said.

The terror group claimed earlier that it had already fired at least one rocket towards the airport on Friday but militant rockets, which are largely inaccurate, are not known to have landed in or around the airport, Israel's main international aerial gateway.

Several rockets from the Gaza Strip were fired toward the greater Tel Aviv area on Friday morning. The Iron Dome defense system intercepted three projectiles. No injuries were reported.

Incoming air traffic was halted from entering Israeli air space as sirens were sounded in the area, an airport spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post. Flight traffic was resumed as normal after the sirens subsided.

A spokesman for the Airports Authority said that a siren had sounded at Ben-Gurion and that all activity had stopped for about ten minutes, but that the siren was part of a general alert in the Tel Aviv area and not a direct threat to the airport.

El Al planes are protected by the MUSIC-DIRCM anti-missile system and have been protected by that system or by Flight Guard since 2006. Other airlines decided that the anti-missile system for passenger planes is 'too expensive.' If God forbid there is a 'successful' attack, or even one that comes close, my guess is that we will likely see a lot of foreign airlines stop flying here for a while.

What could go wrong?

Labels: anti-missile systems, Ben Gurion Airport, El Al, Gaza, Hamas, Hamas rockets, MUSIC, Operation Protective Edge

Elbit completes test of anti-missile system for passenger jets

Elbit Systems has completed a test of an anti-missile system for commercial passenger jets. Here's a simulation of how the system works.

Let's go to the videotape.

The system had its final test on Wednesday (that video is actually about two and a half years old).

The Defense Ministry and Elbit Systems announced a successful completion of a trial program to test a missile defense system for commercial airlines.

The C-Music system is designed to protect passenger aircraft from the threat of shoulder-launched missiles.

After detecting incoming missiles with an infrared censor, it fires a laser that disrupts the missile's navigation system and throws it off course, away from its intended target.

C-Music was chosen by the Transportation Ministry to protect Israeli airliners.

The Defense Ministry's Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, the Israel Airports Authority, and Elbit Systems jointly developed the system.

"The experiments, carried out in southern Israel, were some of the most complex and sophisticated ever carried out in Israel," the Defense Ministry said. "They simulated a range of threats that the C-Music system will have to deal with," it added.

"C-Music is considered the most advanced system of its kind in the world, and will provide ultimate defense to planes," the ministry continued. "It combined advanced detection and disruption technologies, and meets the stringent requirements of commercial flight."

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ophir Shoham, head of the Administration, said hundreds of engineers took part in the development stage, and that the product is at the "end limit of detection and disruption technology."

Let's see if any non-Israeli airlines are willing to pay the price to install it.

Labels: anti-missile systems, Elbit Systems, MUSIC

LATMA's weekly tribal update on why we don't attack Hamas and what Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Obama have in common

Here's this week's LATMA tribal update in which Flock Builder wisely explains why we mustn't fall into a trap, Story Time about a zero that felt very important, a job candidate with unique tastes in music.

And a great line at the end....

Let's go to the videotape.

Labels: Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Iranian nuclear threat, LATMA, MUSIC, rockets

Video: Elbit's new MUSIC anti-missile system for commercial aircraft

Now this is really neat.

Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Debbie R).

But the last I heard, it was only Israeli airlines that were installing it. Actually, this is a different system than Flight Guard. Maybe it's less expensive. Hmmm.

Labels: Elbit Systems, MUSIC