Four Bombardier Challenger 604s operated by the US Federal Aviation Administration are being equipped with active self-protection kits under a US Air Force contract awarded to Northrop Grumman on 23 May. The company will provide AAQ-224(V) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) hardware for delivery by June 2007.
The FAA-owned Challengers have a particularly sensitive mission. Each is instrumented to validate the strength and accuracy of navigation aid signals used for instrument landing system-based approaches to runways. The civil agency inherited the mission from the USAF, which used to operate instrumented Lockheed C-140 business jets, and is to verify navigation aid signals at overseas runways used for military operations.
Northrop will perform the work as part of a $68.5 million USAF deal that also includes the installation of LAIRCM systems on a combination of 21 Boeing C-17s and Lockheed Martin C-130s flown by the US Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. The contract also calls for Northrop to install a trial system on a Lockheed C-5B.
Meanwhile, Northrop is continuing to make progress on a demonstration programme for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and in early May completed a critical design review for the first FedEx-owned Boeing MD-11 to test the Northrop-designed Guardian self-protection system. Installation work was to begin in late May, with a first flight set for August ahead of a three-month operational assessment to start in September. The DHS is also evaluating a BAE Systems-built laser-jamming system for potential use by civil aircraft.
STEPHEN TRIMBLE/WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
