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A global tender has been floated by India for the joint development of Laser Based Directed Infrared Counter Measure System (DIRCM) to protect aircraft carrying high value targets against ground launched infrared guided missiles. The tender indicates the vendor to transfer technology to India’s state owned Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) based in Bangalore.
However, the Indian Defence Ministry is skeptical of acquiring transfer technology to the Indian entity in this case due to the new establishment in Washington. European companies would have an upper hand in this race.
The need for DIRCM arose due to the security concerns and protection of aircraft and helicopters against heat seeking ground to air missiles known as Man-portable defence air systems or MANPADS. The DIRCM will consist of the Jamming Turret which will direct the jamming laser beams toward the incoming missile.
The Jamming Turret will in turn be connected to the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The Jamming Turret will have a thermal Camera to acquire and track the in-coming missiles and Laser Head that outputs the laser beams at the required wavelengths. The CPU will include a system Processor that will control the DIRCM operations, including target acquisition and tracking and interfaces to the Missile Warning Systems (MAWS) .
The operational requirements of the DIRCM warrant that the power required for jamming in any particular band is equal to or greater than 30 KW/sterdian which is the power of the beam of laser. The power of the laser beam will be crucial to the worthiness of the system.
The protection envelope of the DIRCM system should be capable to provide protection against missiles fired from the lower hemisphere below the aircraft and the system should have a coverage of 360°Azimuth. The DIRCM system should also be capable of engaging two consecutive threats when there is at least 3 seconds difference between the times of the warnings received from the MAWS.
Other requirements of the Turret Dynamics include that the Turret should be able to rotate 180 degrees in Azimuth in less than 0.5 seconds, and the Turret should be able to rotate 60 degrees in elevation in less than 0.5 seconds. The Laser should be able to emit the laser beams in the various Bandwidths simultaneously.
When in operation the DIRCM will be cued towards incoming missiles by the Missile Approach warning systems (MAWS). When a threat is detected by the MAWS, its elevation and azimuth will be transferred to the system. Subsequently, the DIRCM Turret will automatically be directed towards the approaching threat. In the process the system will acquire and track the missile, and will direct the laser beam towards the missile’s seeker, disrupting its guidance system and causing it to break lock and miss the protected aircraft.
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