Breaking news
Finmeccanica started production of BriteCloud expendable decoy systems.
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World Defense & Security Industry News - Finmeccanica
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Finmeccanica started production of BriteCloud expendable decoy systems
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Following the success of trials with Gripen in April 2015, Finmeccanica has begun Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of BriteCloud. The first production rounds will fulfil the testing and evaluation requirements of perspective clients, the Italy-based company said on Marh, 4, 2016.
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 Selex ES (Finmeccanica) BriteCloud Expendable Active Decoy(Credit: Finmeccanica) |
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BriteCloud offers aircrews an effective, affordable and self-contained Digital RF Memory (DRFM) jammer developed to protect against the modern threats facing today’s fast-jet aircraft. Designed to disrupt incoming missiles’ RF tracking systems and produce a large ‘miss distance’, the device is ejected from a standard 55mm flare dispenser. The incoming threat is drawn away from the aircraft, minimising the risk of an incoming missile exploding in close proximity of the aircraft.
The decoy represents a UK manufacturing success story. The engineering, development and ‘productisation’ of BriteCloud has been undertaken at the Luton facility of Selex ESFinmeccanica in partnership with Chemring Countermeasures, and sources component parts from suppliers across the UK. Assembly and testing of the off-board decoy was completed in June 2015, with the first of the decoys shipped to Chemring for final packaging and the addition of pyrotechnics before delivery to potential customers. The end result is that the latest Selex ES/Finmeccanica technological innovation has now evolved from the drawing board to become a fully qualified piece of hardware ready to fill a genuine electronic countermeasure capability gap. As a programmable countermeasure, BriteCloud will remain relevant as threats evolve and new threats appear. End users can provide rapid response to threats within theatres of operation. The Finmeccanica Electronic Warfare Operational Support (EWOS) provision for BriteCloud will allow end users to program the decoys so that they are optimised to identify and respond to the emitters and threats that are likely to be encountered during a particular mission, and in a particular region. The company is also developing the BriteCloud EAD for alternative countermeasure dispenser types including the widely used 218 dispenser. |
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