A private charter operator is set to fly a Bombardier Global 7500 and a Gulfstream G700 equipped with BIRD Aerosystems' airborne missile protection systems (AMPS) and the self protection radar electro-optic system (SPREOS) DIRCM, all installed in BIRD's AeroShield pod.

BIRD, an Israeli provider of defence technology and solutions that protect the fleets, armoured vehicles and ground assets of governments and related agencies, has won a contract to provide AMPS for the two VIP aircraft. As part of the contract, BIRD's AMPS and SPREOS will be certified on each aircraft in collaboration with OEMs, achieving an STC for the system installation on the aircraft.

Operationally deployed in dangerous conflict areas worldwide, BIRD's AMPS airborne missile protection system provides enhanced protection for military and civilian aircraft against the growing threat of ground-to-air missiles. The system is designed to automatically detect, verify and foil SAM attacks through the effective use of directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) that jam the missile's IR seeker and protect the aircraft. Queued by the missile warning sensors, BIRD's SPREOS DIRCM can uniquely confirm that it is a real missile and not a false alarm. At the same time, it assesses the nature of the particular threat, tracking it and cueing an advanced QCL dual-band laser to defeat it. 
BIRD co-CEO and founder Ronen Factor says: “We are honoured to seal another important contract with a leading European customer and install our missile protection systems with the advanced SPREOS DIRCM on the most advanced VIP aircraft available today. We are honoured to collaborate with world-leading OEMs like Gulfstream and Bombardier, and are confident that our systems will allow heads-of-state using these aircraft to fly safely and uninterrupted.”