US manufacturer proposes ground-based counter-Manpads concept as cheaper alternative to on-board systems
Raytheon has taken the wraps off a ground-based directed electromagnetic energy system designed to protect airliners from the threat of shoulder-launched missiles.
The technology – which has been under development for several years in co-operation with the US Department of Defense – is a dramatically cheaper alternative to equipping individual aircraft with on-board counter-Manpads systems, says Michael Booen, Raytheon vice-president advanced missile defence and directed energy weapons.
The US manufacturer is proposing the system as a solution for civil airports in a belated attempt to grab a share of the potentially lucrative airliner protection market.
After detecting a missile launch the Vigilant Eagle uses a high-power microwave phased array to strike the target with an electromagnetic pulse, damaging its electronics and driving it away from the aircraft (see box).
“It provides a protective dome around the airport,” says Booen, and ensures that any missile will “not be able to guide and find its target. We have tested this [technology] against the important-threat missiles and it has been effective,” he adds.
Equipping an airliner with a directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system costs more than $1 million, plus downtime for installation worth $500,000 and annual overhaul and maintenance expenses of $350,000, says Booen.
By contrast, Vigilant Eagle could be installed at a major airport for $25 million with annual maintenance costs of less than $1.2 million. “If you protect 33 of the largest hubs, you’ll encompass 71% of the traffic,” says Booen.
The relatively low cost of Vigilant Eagle provides a “tremendous business case” for equipping airports with the system, given the “economic tidal wave” that could be triggered by the traffic downturn in the wake of a successful terrorist attack using Manpads, says Booen. Meanwhile, “we’re going to have to get to the point where we can fly in and out of Baghdad”.
Raytheon is discussing the Vigilant Eagle with the US Department of Homeland Security, which is funding development work on aircraft-mounted countermeasures. It would take 12-18 months and cost $100 million to equip the first airport, but the unit price would fall to around $25 million if 25 airports were equipped.
“We have proposals for tests that could be done in 12 months,” says Booen, who says the system “cannot predict where a defeated missile would land”, but would be unlikely to cause major damage on the ground as such missiles typically carry small explosive charges and will usually not detonate if they fail to get close to their target.
Source: Flight International
