C295 demos Elbit protection suite
Trials at the Bundeswehr WTD91 test site in Meppen, Germany, have included a joint Elbit Systems and Airbus Defence & Space demonstration of the C295 aircraft integrated with Elbit Systems' countermeasures and an IR-based missile warning system. The demonstration took place in October during multi-national NATO trials.
The C295 carried an operationally installed Elbit Systems EW self-protection suite consisting of a MUSIC Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system and the Passive Airborne Warning System (PAWS) IR based missile warning system.
The aircraft successfully demonstrated the capability to detect, acquire, track and jam the trial test equipment on the ground, under extreme conditions. According to Elbit, the initial assessment of the results show that the system has the capability to successfully jam MANPADS from the first, second and third generation, using generic NATO jam codes.
The demonstration was widely supported by the Israeli Ministry of Defence, the Spanish Air Force and NATO Air Forces Armaments Group, Air Capability Group 3, Sub Group 2, which is the NATO group responsible for the development and validation of air platform protection solutions.
Elbit Systems’ MUSIC family of DIRCM systems integrate an advanced fiber laser technology with a high rate thermal tracking camera and a small, highly dynamic mirror turret to provide protection to all types of aircraft.
The PAWS family of missile warning systems uses IR to rapidly detect advanced threats in all flight conditions.