Next-Generation Laser Jammers Delivered and New Contract Awarded to Protect Aircraft Today

BAE Systems announced significant developments on two survivability technology contracts, further solidifying its position as an industry leader in aviation threat management solutions for U.S. and allied forces. First, the company completed initial deliveries of its Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) systems to support contractor-led testing activities, with all CIRCM units being delivered ahead of schedule and some even as early as three months in advance. In addition, BAE Systems received a $68 million contract to provide hardware to the U.S. Army for its Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasure (ATIRCM) system, which has been credited with saving aircraft and troops from infrared-guided missile attacks.

BAE Systems' Common Infrared Countermeasure system delivered for testing. (Photo: BAE Systems)

“We fully expect that the upcoming CIRCM tests will verify that our decades of experience with survivability technology have resulted in the best next-generation missile protection for Army aviators,” said Bill Staib, director of Threat Management Solutions at BAE Systems. “While innovating for the future, we are also protecting our soldiers today with ATIRCM, which has surpassed all reliability performance objectives and provided 100 percent operational availability.”

The Army opened the CIRCM competition in 2009 to develop and install the missile jammer on thousands of U.S. military helicopters, and as a result, last year, BAE Systems received a $38 million contract to compete in the technology demonstration phase. The company tests and evaluates CIRCM in its Worrell/Weeks Aircrew Protection Center. This $20 million facility, which is dedicated to two Army soldiers killed in 2006 in Iraq, enables rigorous analysis of aircraft survivability equipment in an operationally representative environment.

The ATIRCM system provides passive warning of a missile approach using BAE Systems’ AN/AAR-57 CMWS, which cues the ATIRCM jam head to the missile’s location. When the jam head discovers the missile, it emits an energy beam to defeat the missile seeker. BAE Systems’ ATIRCM system has proven to be the most reliable, laser-based directable infrared countermeasure technology fielded. Since 2008, the system has logged more than 125,000 hours with a field reliability measure in excess of 700 hours – more than three times the threshold requirement.

Additional information regarding BAE Systems’ threat management solutions can be found at http://www.baesystems.com/threat-management.

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