Common Infrared Countermeasures
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| Common Infrared Countermeasures | |
|---|---|
| Name | Common Infrared Countermeasures |
| Type | Defensive technologies |
| Introduced | 1970s |
| Developers | Various defense contractors |
| Platforms | Aircraft, helicopters, ground vehicles, naval vessels |
| Users | Multiple armed forces |
| Status | In service |
Common Infrared Countermeasures are systems designed to protect aircraft and other platforms from infrared-guided threats by degrading, confusing, or defeating man-portable air-defense systems and infrared homing missiles. Originating from responses to combat encounters in the Yom Kippur War and Vietnam War, these systems evolved alongside advances in seekers used in weapons such as the FIM-92 Stinger and the AIM-9 Sidewinder. Development and deployment have involved collaborations among suppliers associated with programs linked to organizations like Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, BAE Systems, and Thales Group.
Overview
Common infrared countermeasures (IRCM) encompass expendable and expendableless devices whose history ties to incidents in the Arab–Israeli conflict, Soviet–Afghan War, and operations during the Gulf War. Procurement programs in the United States Department of Defense, Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), French Armed Forces, and Israeli Defense Forces spurred advances through contracts awarded to firms such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Leonardo S.p.A.. International exercises including Red Flag, RIMPAC, and NATO interoperability trials have shaped doctrine and standards adopted by alliances like NATO and partnerships such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue for sharing tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Types of Infrared Countermeasures
Types of IRCM include expendable infrared flares, directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM), and obscurants developed under programs akin to the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization initiatives. Expendables such as pyrotechnic flares trace lineage to systems fielded by air arms including the United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, Israeli Air Force, and Indian Air Force. DIRCM systems, exemplified by products from BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, employ lasers and turrets similar to payloads integrated on platforms tested in trials with the US Army, Royal Australian Air Force, and German Luftwaffe. Other categories include multi-spectral systems influenced by sensor developments at institutions like MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Draper Laboratory, and research out of Sandia National Laboratories.
Operational Principles and Technologies
IRCМ operate by detecting incoming threats with sensors that use components sourced from suppliers linked with Teledyne Technologies, FLIR Systems, and Hensoldt and then applying countermeasures such as laser dazzlers, modulated beams, or high-temperature flares. The seeker dynamics of threats like the 9K38 Igla and R-73 informed countermeasure algorithms developed in collaboration with research centers such as DARPA and the Office of Naval Research. Signal processing techniques employ phased arrays and closed-loop control schemes inspired by programs at Caltech and MIT, while laser steering often uses fast-pointing gimbals comparable to designs fielded through cooperations with Thales Group and Raytheon. Integration of infrared detectors from firms linked to Honeywell and BAE Systems enables threat classification and engagement logic used by forces during operations like Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Deployment Platforms and Integration
IRCМ are fitted to rotary-wing platforms such as the AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook, fixed-wing aircraft including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, transport types like the C-130 Hercules, and naval assets comparable to Arleigh Burke-class destroyer integrated suites. Integration programs have seen collaboration among systems integrators like General Dynamics, Airbus Defence and Space, and Sikorsky for certification and flight testing performed at ranges used by Nellis Air Force Base and Edwards Air Force Base. Maintenance and logistics chains intersect with contractors under frameworks similar to the Foreign Military Sales process and interoperability testing aligned with NATO STANAGs.
Effectiveness, Limitations, and Counter-Countermeasures
Effectiveness varies with seeker generation exemplified by the progression from first-generation infrared seekers to imaging infrared seekers used by advanced missiles like variants of the AIM-9X and newer electro-optical systems. Limitations arise from environmental conditions encountered over regions such as Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, where clutter, sun glint, and weather degrade sensor fidelity, and from adversary tactics developed in exercises such as Exercise Steadfast Noon. Counter-countermeasures include cooled focal plane arrays, advanced signal processing researched at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and all-aspect seeker designs fielded by nations including Russia and China. Adversary proliferation of technologies from suppliers linked to Almaz-Antey and defense programs in People's Liberation Army modernization efforts has driven continuous upgrades.
Legal, Safety, and Ethical Considerations
Deployment of IRCM intersects with international regulatory frameworks negotiated by institutions like the United Nations and safety standards referenced by aviation authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Laser-based DIRCM systems must address eye-safety and collateral damage concerns examined in forums involving International Civil Aviation Organization and research conducted at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Ethical debates informed by reports from organizations such as Human Rights Watch and policy reviews by legislative bodies including the United States Congress and the House Armed Services Committee consider risks to civilians, unintended consequences near populated areas like Baghdad and Tripoli, and export controls managed through regimes similar to the Wassenaar Arrangement.