L'armée canadienne est à la recherche d'un système de défense aérien pour protéger ses appareils VIP, dont celui utilisé par le premier ministre Stephen Harper, de la menace des missiles sol-air.
Et l'un des principaux fournisseurs de la défense d'Israël, Elbit Systems, a travaillé en coulisses depuis des mois pour prendre part au projet anticipé. La destruction du vol MH-17 de Malaysia Airlines dans le ciel ukrainien pourrait avoir augmenté le sentiment d'urgence des responsables de la défense.
Le programme vise à livrer un système qui «vaincra les missiles modernes infrarouge portatifs», indique le guide d'acquisition de l'armée.
Le système serait installé sur les Challenger C-144 restants, de même que sur la flotte existante de Polaris C-150, qui inclut le Airbus du premier ministre.
L'échéance pour l'achat d'un tel système avait été établi initialement à 2020 ou pour les années subséquentes, mais une source gouvernementale a indiqué que des responsables s'y attardaient plus attentivement à la lumière de la tragédie en Ukraine et de l'interdiction de vols la semaine dernière sur Tel Aviv à la suite de tirs de roquettes du Hamas ayant frappé près de l'aéroport international Ben Gourion.
Trois transporteurs commerciaux israéliens - El Al Israël, Arkia et Israir - installent tous un système Elbit, connu sous le nom de C-Music. Les armées de l'air du Brésil et de l'Italie ont effectué des commandes.
Récemment, un haut responsable d'Elbit - discutant seulement d'informations générales en raison de la sensibilité des échanges - a affirmé que la compagnie oeuvrait par l'entremise des nouveaux canaux de coopération en défense avec le Canada et espérait vendre la technologie avancée aux forces armées canadiennes.
Le système fixé à l'appareil détecte les missiles à proximité avec une caméra thermique. Lorsque le missile est suffisamment prêt, le système lance un laser qui dévie le missile de sa trajectoire et fait en sorte de le faire exploser à une distance sécuritaire.
Le missile ayant abattu l'avion malaisien dans le ciel ukrainien serait un système sophistiqué guidé par radar et monté sur un blindé.
Le C-Music ne serait pas efficace contre le genre de menace posée par ce système Buk, qui aurait été fourni aux rebelles par la Russie.
Les experts de la défense sonnent toutefois l'alarme depuis plusieurs années quant à la prolifération d'armes à l'épaule, dont certaines ont été pillées dans l'arsenal du dictateur libyen Mouammar Kadhafi durant les soulèvements du Printemps arabe.
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
Belongings of victims are pictured at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
Saees of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 are pictured at the crash site, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A part of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A part of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
Stretchers are pictured near the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A part of the fuselage of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A photo taken on July 23, 2014 shows the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A photo taken on July 23, 2014 shows the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A part of the fuselage of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A photo taken on July 23, 2014 shows the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A photo taken on July 23, 2014 shows the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A man looks at the debris scattered at the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A part of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
Victims\' belongings lay scattered at the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
The toy of a child who died in the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is pictured in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
Belongings of victims are pictured at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A dead parrot is pictured at the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in a field near the village of Grabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 23, 2014. The first bodies from flight MH17 arrived in the Netherlands on July 23 almost a week after it was shot down over Ukraine, with grieving relatives and the king and queen solemnly receiving the as yet unidentified victims. AFP PHOTO/ BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
