A Bombardier Global 7500 now carries an EASA-certified missile protection system, after Florida-based Ondas announced on October 13, 2026 that its subsidiary BIRD Aerosystems had completed installation and certification of the Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS) on the type. The approval places the defensive suite inside the aircraft's certified configuration rather than leaving it as optional, unblessed equipment. The operator was not disclosed.

The certification covers integration of a suite built around directional infrared countermeasures, or DIRCM — a laser-based arrangement that jams the seekers of heat-seeking missiles. According to Ondas, the approval confirms the installation meets applicable European airworthiness requirements. That is a meaningful line for an operator: the protection system is now part of the aircraft's approved configuration, not a retrofit of uncertain regulatory standing.

How does the system work?

AMPS targets man-portable air-defense systems, the shoulder-fired missiles known as MANPADS, along with other infrared-guided threats. The company says the suite combines missile warning, threat confirmation, tracking and DIRCM in one package. It also claims the combination cuts false alarms to "virtually zero" — a claim that deserves scrutiny, since nuisance alerts are precisely what have blunted airline enthusiasm for such systems in the past.

"Protecting high-value aircraft and government aviation assets against increasingly sophisticated missile threats is a critical and growing defense requirement," said Eric Brock, chairman and CEO of Ondas. That requirement has already pushed governments toward DIRCM. Germany, for one, has equipped its Airbus A350 government transports with self-protection systems.

The commercial picture is more stubborn. Cost, weight and maintenance burden have kept such systems largely off airliners. A business jet carrying heads of state is a different proposition from an A320 flying six sectors a day.

Who is BIRD, and why does the installed base matter?

Ondas acquired the Israeli protection specialist in March 2026. At the time of the deal, the company said BIRD's systems were already flying on more than 700 aircraft across over 40 types — roughly 17 aircraft per type, to translate the figure. Operators named included the US Army, NATO forces and United Nations aviation fleets. That installed base gives the EASA certification a pedigree: this is not a first-of-a-kind system seeking its first believer.

Is this the first protected Global 7500?

No. The Global 7500 has drawn missile-protection interest for several years, and the Ondas announcement lands in a crowded field:

• June 2021: Leonardo announced a contract to equip a Global 7500 operated by an unnamed Middle Eastern government with its Miysis DIRCM system.
• August 2023: Switzerland ordered a Global 7500 with a missile self-protection system for its government fleet; the aircraft was delivered in December 2024, with Sabena technics scheduled to install MANPADS-countermeasure equipment in 2025. The supplier was never publicly identified.
• February 2023: BIRD announced its own contract to install AMPS and its SPREOS DIRCM system, housed in the AeroShield pod, on a Global 7500 and a Gulfstream G700 for an undisclosed European customer. A contemporary report by Business Air News described that customer as a private charter operator. The project included plans for a supplemental type certificate on each aircraft.

BIRD had targeted completion of both certifications before the end of 2026. The Global 7500 half has now landed, with roughly two months of the year remaining. The G700 half is conspicuously absent from the Ondas announcement, and no update was offered on its status.

What changes for the market?

For government and high-net-worth operators of large-cabin jets, an EASA-certified AMPS option removes a regulatory obstacle that until now sat between them and MANPADS protection. For BIRD and Ondas, the certification converts a 2023 contract into a deliverable product line item, with a second airframe — the G700 — still pending against a year-end deadline the company set for itself.