The project is valued at $55 million and will include instruction and maintenance services
Haifa, Israel, July 15, 2009 – Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT) announced today that it was awarded a contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defence for the establishment of a mission planning center for the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) pilots of F-16C/D and F-16I fighter aircraft.

The center will be operated through a PFI (Private Financing Initiative) concept, and will include, among others, a development phase as well as instruction and maintenance services for duration of 15 years. The project is valued at approximately $55 million, subject to necessary approvals during the project.

The new mission planning center marks a significant breakthrough in the operational training sector. The system enables training in various mission scenarios in varying operational zones and in the relevant threat environment of each zone, a new training capability which has not yet been available to the IAF.

With its high quality operational training capabilities, the new center will allow the IAF to operate some of the training sorties onboard the trainers, instead of the fighter jets, thus allowing maximized use of existing resources.
Ran Hellerstein, Co-General Manager of Elbit Systems’ Aerospace Division, noted: “The mission planning system was developed in line with the modern combat doctrine that calls for the operation of multiple forces and thus requires interoperable training. We take great pride in the IDF’s selection and trust that Elbit Systems’ vast experience in the training of air and ground forces and UAV operators, as well as our interoperability aptitude and accumulated experience in private funding initiatives, will result in the most suitable solution for the IDF.”

Source: Elbit