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The defence and aerospace giant has tasked the Israel-based defence contractor with bolstering the surface-to-air missile defences of its military transport aircraft.
Airbus Defence and Space has awarded a contract to Elbit Systems for the integration of direct infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) across the Airbus A330-200 MRTT fleet delivered to European forces.
Elbit’s DIRCM systems include the Infrared-based Passive Airborne Warning Systems (PAWS IR).
DIRCM leverages laser technology, high frame-rate thermal cameras and a compact, high-speed sealed-mirror turret, designed to bolster defences against surface-to-air infrared honing missiles.
This builds on Elbit’s work with Airbus on equipping aircraft of other international customers with DIRCM and electronic warfare (EW) systems, including NATO’s Multinational Multirole Fleet, German Air Force’s aircraft, and aircraft of the UAE Air Force.
“We are looking forward to cooperating with Airbus in additional markets as Air Forces have been placing a growing importance on stepping up platform protection,” Oren Sabag, general manager of Elbit Systems ISTAR & EW, said.
This is Elbit Systems’ second award announcement this week, with the company recently revealing its subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, has secured a $49 million (AU$70 million) contract to deliver Squad Binocular Night Vision Goggle (SBNVG) systems to the US Marine Corps.
The gear is set to be developed from the company’s facility in Roanoke, Virginia, and supplied through September 2023.
This forms part of a $249 million (AU$356 million) five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded on 6 September 2019.
The SBNVG is billed as a lightweight helmet-mounted system, designed to provide superior night-time viewing in various environments and conditions.
The gear is expected to improve warfighter situational awareness and performance, leveraging an enhanced battery life and white phosphor image intensification tubes for improved clarity and depth perception.
