Independently owned and privately funded, Aviation Protection Systems has already established business offices in the Miami area and begun to introduce Flight Guard to key constituencies within the aviation industry.
Already in use by more than a dozen customers on over 15 different types of aircraft, including military, commercial and private airplanes, Flight Guard protects military and commercial aircraft from the danger posed by shoulder-fired missiles, known as Man-Portable Air Defense Systems or MANPADS, an increasingly common tool of terrorists worldwide. Experts estimate that over 10,000 MANPADS weapons sit in the hands of terrorists today.
Flight Guard is based on technology developed for the Israel Air Force by IAI/ELTA over the past 15 years and has accumulated thousands of battlefield hours. No aircraft equipped with the Flight Guard system has ever been shot down, although many have been engaged.
By using Pulse-Doppler radar and numerous antennae to detect incoming missiles, Flight Guard provides 100% coverage of aircraft, making it the only system, which leaves no unprotected "dead zones." When one or more missiles are identified, dark flares are automatically dispensed to divert the missiles away from the aircraft.
Under the agreement with IAI/ELTA and IMI announced today, the Flight Guard system will be available with the newly developed dark flare technology. Dark flares, which are environmentally safe and hardly noticeable to the human eye, are an improved version of those used successfully by the military and provide total effectiveness against all known types of MANPADS missiles.
Aviation Protection Systems will provide a complete solution with its Flight Guard system, including systems installation, training, logistics and maintenance. Typical installations on large commercial jet airliners require less than one week, while maintenance is limited to one routine annual inspection.
Aviation Protection Systems is currently seeking certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration so that it can begin working with U.S. airlines to install Flight Guard on the nation's 6,800-plus commercial jetliners. The next generation Flight Guard system is designed to address all FAA and other government requirements for the civil aviation industry to protect commercial airplanes against MANPADS.
"Together with Flight Guard," said Mr. Israel Livnat, president of ELTA, "we bring 15 years of proven experience in the field of self-defense systems and suites for military aircraft of all kinds."
"Military aircraft have successfully used this technology in Israel and around the world for many years," stated Mr. Arie Mizrachi, chairman of IMI. "Unfortunately, the rising tide of global terrorism today has thrust commercial aviation into a combat environment."
Aviation Protection Systems is led by Omer Regev, who undertakes his role as president of the U.S. company with an ideal resume. He began his career as a high-ranking officer and engineer in the Israel Air Force before joining the business side of the aviation field. A veteran of multiple successful high- tech start-ups in the highly competitive Israeli aerospace industry, Mr. Regev now dedicates his time entirely to Aviation Protection Systems.
"We have a proven, reliable solution to the MANPADS threat available today," said Mr. Regev. "We look forward to the opportunity to provide this valuable solution to commercial and private aircraft in the United States."