Netherlands orders counter-MANPADS solution from Elbit Systems

J-MUSIC counter-MANPADS turret. (Elbit Systems)

Elbit Systems will provide a Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) system and an airborne electronic warfare (EW) system for a Netherlands Gulfstream G650 aircraft.

Announced by the company on 14 July, the order involves the delivery of their J-Multi Spectral Infrared Countermeasure (J-MUSIC) DIRCM system and the Infrared-based Passive Airborne Warning System (IR-PAWS).

According to the company, the systems will provide a high level of protection and redundancy, have accumulated hundreds of thousands of flight hours to date, and have been selected by Israel, Germany, and NATO's multinational fleet.

Elbit Systems was unable to comment on the total value of the contract and the estimated delivery date of the system at the time of publication.

J-MUSIC is designed for use on medium- to large-sized aircraft such as transports, special-mission platforms, and business jets, and uses many subsystems of the earlier pod-mounted C-MUSIC system. The MUSIC family are designed to protect aircraft from heat-seeking ground-to-air missiles (manportable air-defence system [MANPADS]), the company said.

In June 2019 Elbit Systems was awarded a USD73 million contract to install J-MUSIC systems on German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Airbus A400M transport aircraft.

At the start of 2017 NATO clients signed new procurement contracts with Elbit Systems for DIRCM systems for cargo, tanker, and special-mission aircraft, with customers including Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway. Other countries that acquired Elbit Systems DIRCM platforms include the Israeli Air Force, the Italian Air Force for the Leonardo Spartan C27J tactical transport aircraft, Lockheed Martin C130J Super Hercules medium-lift tactical transport aircraft and Leonardo AW101 medium multirole helicopters, and the Brazilian Air Force for the Embraer KC-390 transport aircraft.