Raytheon [RTN] believes its infrared seeker that has been installed on Sidewinder missiles for decades could be used to help protect unmanned aircraft systems from possible attacks.
Raytheon is pitching its air-to-air infrared system carried by the AIM-9X Sidewinders in a contract competition under the Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program to install the seekers on helicopters to fend off missile assaults. Raytheon, along with other firms, has already submitted a proposal and an award is expected by the end of the year, a company official said.
The same idea with the helicopters could be relatively quickly applied to UASs and would be a low-cost option because they have already been manufactured and the technology is mature, Booen said.Type your caption here.The infrared device tracks the heat seeking missile while emitting a laser to disrupt its guidance system and divert it away from the aircraft, Mike Booen, Raytheon’s vice president for advanced security and directed energy systems, said.
“Our hardware is coming off an active production line,” he said.
The unit is baseball-sized and lightweight, making it suitable for larger UASs like the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, he said. He wouldn’t reveal the exact weight, citing competitive concerns.
With the Pentagon augmenting use of UASs in hostile airspace, it may want to consider a defense system to protect the platforms and their increasingly sophisticated and expensive payloads, Booen said.
“These unmanned aircraft are widely deployed in today’s battlespace, and they are highly vulnerable to missile attacks,” Booen said.
“Why not offer some degree of protection?” he added, saying it would be a “logical extension” of the technology.
The Pentagon would also be able to leverage the millions of dollars it has already invested in the technology to protect unmanned systems, Booen said.