Countermeasures equipment supplier EADS Defence Electronics hopes to take advantage of rising demand for self-protection equipment for platforms including transport aircraft and attack and utility helicopters.
The company will supply towed radar decoys for the German air force's Eurofighter Typhoon multirole aircraft as part of the platform's wider defensive aids subsystem; a project which Germany formally joined in late 2001. Each aircraft will carry two of the decoys in a pod on its starboard wing tip, with each providing near-360¡ coverage by using antennas at its front and rear to mimic host aircraft characteristics. The design has already undergone proving trials for use under supersonic flight conditions.
EADS Defence Electronics is also a supplier of missile and laser warning systems for a variety of aircraft types. It is continuing work to reduce the size of these systems to enable their use on additional types and to improve their capabilities against new-generation air-to-air and surface-launched missile threats.
Citing a recent proliferation in low-cost but increasingly effective man-portable air defence systems, EADS has identified a need to develop new countermeasures for use against these infrared- or laser-guided anti-aircraft weapons.
Flash is a new-generation system to deal with a variety of heat-seeking missiles. A recently disclosed development will field a turret-housed destructive laser capable of damaging the electronics within an incoming missile's seeker head before it can destroy a large transport aircraft or helicopter. The design is the result of a collaborative project between EADS Defence Electronics, Germany's Diehl Munitionssysteme and Thales of France (Flight International, 24 February-1 March).
EADS Defence Electronics has also conducted studies to address the threat posed to transport and attack helicopters by widely available rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), which have been responsible for downing US Army helicopters in Iraq. Potential early solutions include shooting down the incoming RPG - a major challenge, given the short reaction time available after detecting its launch, or deflecting the round through the use of explosive reactive armour, such as that used on main battle tanks and armoured vehicles. The latter approach would, however, introduce significant weight penalties on helicopter designs, limiting their useful range and lift potential.
The unit has also been successful in selling its Hellas laser radar obstacle warning system to the German border patrol authorities, and is eyeing further opportunities to export the design to potential operators within the US military.
Source: Flight International
