ITT [ITT] has demonstrated the capabilities of a fully integrated airborne Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) system during a recent simulated missile attack, the company reported.
“This successful test shows our system can offer vitally needed protection for combat helicopters,” Chris Bernhardt, president of ITT’s electronic systems value center, said in a statement. “With hundreds of flights being flown daily around the world, these helicopters are the transport workhorses in several operational theaters.”
The tests simulated a complete engagement of a missile attack from detection by the on-board Missile Warning System through response by ITT’s Countermeasures System, which tracked the threat and responded with a countermeasures laser to divert the threat successfully from the aircraft, the company said. The system operated autonomously throughout the engagement.
This fourth series of flights was conducted at the Joint Base M-D-L, Lakehurst, N.J., under the sponsorship of the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command.
The system flown at Lakehurst consisted of a missile warning system used to alert the aircrew of an incoming anti-aircraft missile, a pointer-tracker used to direct the laser energy at the missile seeker head, a laser used to jam the guidance system of the threat missile, and the computer processors necessary to ensure a timely and coordinated response. This system was successful in detecting, tracking, and countering all threats directed at the aircraft, according to ITT.
The company has been leveraging its experience to produce a system that is lighter in weight, more reliable, and less costly to procure and maintain than IRCM systems currently available.
If an anti-aircraft missile is fired at an aircraft, the IRCM system tracks the missile and blinds it with a laser. The laser beam makes it impossible for the missile’s sensor to home in on the helicopter. Further, ITT’s IRCM system combines the highest reliability of any known system with the lowest ownership costs, the company said. Mature and proven technologies from industry leading suppliers across the nation have been selected for both capabilities and ruggedness to produce the best possible system.
The ITT IRCM system is designed to provide electronic protection for several types of aircraft. The current focus is on improving the survivability of helicopters employed by the Army on the modern battlefield. ITT is competing to supply its system for the Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) requirement on its combat helicopter fleet. The system also may be employed on helicopter and fixed wing aircraft fleets of the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, ITT said.
“These anti-missile systems greatly improve aircraft survivability, protecting the lives of aircrews and their passengers, as well as protecting these critical lifelines in conflicts around the world,” Bernhardt added.