Posted on 01/17/2011 8:26:18 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air National Guard are modifying a KC-135 air refueling aircraft for testing of an infrared anti-missile system.
Comprehensive ground testing of the company's Guardian system began Jan. 12. Follow-on flight testing is to begin Wednesday.
The company said the Operational Utility Evaluation is scheduled for completion in mid-March.
Northrop Grumman's Guardian system incorporates the company's AN/AAQ-24(V) infrared countermeasures defensive aid system in a pod-based configuration. The AN/AAQ-24 is installed on more than 500 fixed- and rotary-wing platforms for the U.S. military and others. It's designed to protect aircraft from advanced man-portable ground-to-air missiles and consists of a multi-band laser pointer/tracker and an ultraviolet missile warning sensor.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
This system makes a little more sense than what had been hung on trash haulers in the 90s. Packages of ejectable flares that could be kicked out singularly or en masse from wingtips and rear fuselage to spoof or draw away man -portable, heat seeking SAMs.
Right after September 11th, some high ranking AF whiz kid had proposed putting the same systems on tankers. Which would have been a bad idea all the way around for a KC-10 or 135 with 60,000+ pounds of fuel aboard.
Just sayin’.
Jack.
This is also the same laser-based system that was proposed to be put on all commercial aircraft after 9/11.
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