Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Sky Capture Air Defence System (Image Courtesy: IAI)

Boaz Levi, IAI’s executive vice president and general manager of Systems, Missiles & Space Group, did not specifically mention the country which signed the contract. However, India has a long-standing defence relationship with Israel and has purchased advanced defence system worth billions of dollars from Israel for its three armed forces

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the nation’s largest aerospace and defence company, said Monday it has won a tender for a “mega-contract” worth $550 million with the army of an Asian country to provide its “Sky Capture” Air Defence system.

Sky Capture is a command and control platform, which transforms the customer’s existing air defence systems into “highly accurate and effective”ones, with advanced command and control capabilities as well as information based on multiple sensors, including advanced fire control and detection radars, Electro-optical sensors all made by IAI and its subsidiary ELTA Systems.

The command and control system provides accurate target data for the interceptors and manages the threat and firing detection in an optimal manner, based on the target type, IAI said in a statement.

The system developed at IAI provides short-range aerial defence for army forces, headquarters, bases and strategic assets against a broad range of airborne threats through cannon control, the statement said. IAI competed against “several defence leaders” in the tender, the Israeli company said.

Boaz Levi, IAI’s executive vice president and general manager of Systems, Missiles & Space Group, said that “Sky Capture combines several aerial interception methodologies, reflecting the extensive capabilities of IAI’s air defence know how. The system sold under this contract uses air defence cannons and is also designed, if needed, to manage short-range missiles and laser interception systems.”

The deal comes on the heels of another contract, announced last week, worth $777 million with India to supply a maritime version of the Barak-8 missile defence system.