Eilat-Bound Aircraft Equipped With Advanced SkyShield Anti-Missile System
by JNS.org
JNS.org – Israeli civilian aircraft bound for the southern city of Eilat has been reportedly fitted with an anti-missile system.
The decision was made two weeks ago by the Israeli Defense Ministry to deploy the SkyShield anti-missile system on Eilat-bound civilian aircraft, operated by the Arkia and Israir carriers, following a major offensive by an Islamic State-affiliated terror group in the Sinai that killed dozens of Egyptian soldiers and civilians, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
The defensive measures are a response to concerns that Sinai terrorists could launch a missile on airplanes traveling near the Israeli-Egyptian border.
The anti-missile shield is made by the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems. Under development for more than a decade, the laser-based missile deflector is mounted on an aircraft’s belly and uses a thermal camera that is paired with a laser to change the direction of approaching missiles.