Rafael has conducted a first series of ground tests of its Britening countermeasures system aimed at protecting passenger aircraft from shoulder-launched missiles. The tests were conducted at the Israeli air force's Uvda base in southern Israel. The system prototype was activated from a Boeing 757 that ran its engines at full thrust to create the normal infrared (IR) signature of an airborne aircraft. The Britening system consists of ultraviolet (UV) sensors that detect the missile's launch and a gimballed turret that houses the IR sensors that track the missile's exact trajectory. The same turret also houses the active IR unit that transmits the radiation that creates a false target.

Rafael sources say that the Britening can be certificated before the end of the year. The Israeli ministry of defence recommended on 9 December last year that all Israeli passenger aircraft flying on international routes be equipped with systems to counter the threat of shoulder-launched missiles, following the attempted missile attack on an Arkia Boeing 757-300 at Mombasa, Kenya, on 28 November, 2002.

Source: Flight International