By IANS
London : British defence and aerospace major BAE Systems has received a $29 million award from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to test JETEYE, its infrared aircraft missile defence system, on passenger aircraft.
“The tests will evaluate the system’s compatibility with daily passenger airline operations and maintenance,” a BAE Systems statement said Tuesday.
The contract is for the third phase of R&D on the Department of Homeland Security’s counter-man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) programme. There will be no testing of the JETEYE system’s missile-defeating capability, as that testing was done at government test ranges as part of an earlier phase of the programme.
As part of the counter-MANPADS programme, BAE Systems will install its JETEYE aircraft missile defence system on up to three American Airlines aircraft, the statement said.
The JETEYE is based on BAE Systems’ existing directable infrared countermeasures technology, used to protect military aircraft. With this award, JETEYE will be the only system installed on military cargo and passenger aircraft.
According to Burt Keirstead, director of commercial aircraft programmes for BAE Systems, “from the beginning, we actively engaged with US cargo and passenger carriers to commercialise our technology to meet the needs of the airlines.
“We’re confident that the passenger-aircraft phase of the programme will provide valuable data for DHS’s findings, providing critical, fact-based information to the airline industry and policy-makers,” Keirstead added.
Craig Barton, American Airlines managing director, said: “American Airlines is pleased to continue its partnership with BAE Systems and is fully committed to supporting and participating in the passenger airline evaluation phase of the DHS’s counter-MANPADS program.
“We believe this is a key step toward understanding the true impact of the technology and operational models on the airline industry,” Barton added.
DHS selected BAE Systems in 2004 to adapt the company’s military countermeasures technology to protect commercial aircraft against shoulder-fired missiles. Since then, BAE Systems has received $105 million in funding, and delivered more than 14,000 infrared countermeasure systems worldwide – more than all other participating companies combined.
The counter-MANPADS program, created by DHS and the US Congress, is designed to commercialise proven military technology and gauge its suitability for protecting US commercial aircraft by evaluating its performance, impact on aerodynamic drag, weight, reliability, maintainability, and system cost.
BAE Systems delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services.
With 96,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded $27 billion in 2006.