A NORTHROP GRUMMAN team has won a $275 million UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)-led contract to develop an advanced-infra-red (IR) countermeasures system for Royal Air Force and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) aircraft.
The directed-IR countermeasures system, the Nemesis, is to provide an active defence against short-range IR-guided missiles.
The Northrop team, including British Aerospace Systems and Equipment, GEC-Marconi, Rockwell and Westinghouse, competed with Lockheed Sanders and Loral.
The fixed-wing Nemesis suite consists of two sensor/lamp turrets. When an IR missile is detected, it is engaged by a lamp effectively to "blind" or damage its IR seeker. The helicopter variant is a single-turret system.
The first of 60 Nemesis kits will be delivered to the US Air Force in around 18 months' time. The intention is to equip USSOCOM Lockheed MC-130Es and MC-130H Combat Talons and AC-130Hs and AC-130Us with the turreted anti-missile system.
An initial purchase of around 40 systems for the UK is expected. Platform details have not been revealed, but the UK is likely to field the Nemesis on the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and possibly the recently ordered Lockheed C-130J Hercules 2.
Source: Flight International
