The Department of the Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to deliver Advanced Threat Warning (ATW) sensors as the latest upgrade to its Department of the Navy Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (DoN LAIRCM) system, which protects aircrews and aircraft from battlefield threats.

"Northrop Grumman's multifunction ATW sensor provides a four-in-one capability that includes missile warning, laser warning, hostile fire detection and sensor video, all in a single sensor package," said Carl Smith, vice president of infrared countermeasures programs at Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division.

"With this latest upgrade, our warfighters will have increased threat detection capabilities allowing early warning of heat-seeking missile attacks, small arms fire, medium caliber machine gun fire, anti-aircraft artillery and unguided rocket attacks."

"The multifunctionality aspect of ATW was a concentrated effort to significantly improve affordability over four individual subsystems, while reducing size, weight and power," Smith added.

Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman will deliver 24 ATW sensors and five processors for integration onboard the CH-53 aircraft as part of the currently fielded DoN LAIRCM system. The ATW sensor is form-fit and A-kit compatible with the currently deployed DoN LAIRCM missile warning system.

Northrop Grumman's IRCM system is now installed or scheduled for installation on several hundred military aircraft across the Department of Defense to protect approximately 50 different types of large fixed-wing transports and rotary-wing platforms from infrared missile attacks.

The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.

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