Elbit wins $76 mln anti-missile deal

JERUSALEM, June 25 (Reuters) - Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems (ESLT.O) said on Thursday it received a $76 million contract to supply Israel's Transportation Ministry with a system that disrupts missiles fired at commercial aircraft.

The system, called commercial multi-spectral infrared countermeasure (C-MUSIC), will be supplied by Elbit's wholly-owned unit Elbit Systems Electro-optics El-Op Ltd and installed on a variety of Israeli commercial aircraft, Elbit said in a statement.

C-MUSIC is based on the MUSIC system, a direct infra-red countermeasure technology for military aircraft and helicopters that disrupts missiles fired at aircraft and causes them to veer off course by transmitting a laser beam.

The systems' reliability, rapid response and ability to deal with multiple threats is considered to be among the most advanced systems of its kind in the world today. Elbit Systems' MUSIC completed a series of flight tests recently, it said.

It added that leading aviation industries and air forces have expressed increasing interest in the system and its capabilities.

"This is a significant breakthrough in this field, and we believe that many customers worldwide will decide to install these systems aboard their commercial aircraft fleets," said Joseph Ackerman, Elbit's president and chief executive, in the statement. (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Mike Nesbit)