Advanced Israeli weapons systems, including air defense systems and computerized battle helmets for F-15 jets, have been sold to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to a Sunday report.

Out of the Qatari royal family’s 11 planes, three have Elbit’s C-MUSIC air defense system, which was installed between 2020 and 2022 while the planes were undergoing maintenance in Basel, the Haaretz news site reported, citing an analysis of publicly available photos.

The report noted that when Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani traveled to Tehran last year — the capital of Israel’s archnemesis Iran — he did so while his plane was equipped with the Elbit air defense system.

Using a sophisticated radar system, C-MUSIC tracks incoming MANPADs (shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles) and deflects them using a very powerful laser beam. The system can be installed in various parts of the plane, and is easy to operate, with no special training needed.

It also operates on the aircraft of Israel’s prime minister, Wings of Zion, as well as the French presidential plane, among others.

The report said that the contract for the 2017 US-Qatar deal to sell F-15QA Ababil warplanes to Qatar shows that Israeli firms won tenders for $150-250 million subcontracts to supply advanced parts and systems for the jets, including 160 JHMCS helmets worth some $200,000 each, and AN/AVS-9 night-vision glasses.

The report also cited a US Defense Department statement from 2010 as showing that, as part of a Boeing contract to sell F-15SA jets to........

© The Times of Israel