Defense firms to develop interoperable aircraft survivability solutions

Defense and aerospace companies BAE Systems and Leonardo UK have received U.S. government approval to develop interoperable aircraft survivability solutions.

“This layered defense against new and advanced threats will protect aircraft and their crews in the most complex battlespaces,” BAE Systems Integrated Survivability Solutions Director Chris Austin said. “Using interoperable, combat-proven systems is a smart, efficient, and cost-effective aircraft survivability solution for our international customers.”

The combined capabilities of BAE Systems’ AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) and Leonardo’s Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) System aircraft would bolster survivability against advanced threats.

The AN/AAR-57 CMWS, deployed across the Army’s and numerous partner nations’ rotary- and fixed-wing fleets, detects incoming hostile fire and missile threats, alerts crews, and automatically cues countermeasures.

Additionally, the Miysis DIRCM system provides dependable, persistent protection from Infrared Man Portable Air Defense Systems (IR MANPADS) by overwhelming a missile seeker head with a stream of coded laser energy capable of defeating multiple simultaneous threats.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer this capability to operators around the world in collaboration with BAE Systems,” Leonardo Vice President of Sales Radar and Advanced Targeting Tony Innes said. “The AN/AAR-57 CMWS is in service on thousands of platforms worldwide, making it highly complementary to our readily exportable Miysis DIRCM. International customers who operate the AN/AAR-57 now have a fast, simple, and low-risk way to equip their platforms with gold standard DIRCM protection against infrared missiles.”