DAS on Airliners: is There a Smarter Approach? Find out in The Electronic Warfare Handbook 2005.DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c23800) has announced the addition of Electronic Warfare Noun 1. electronic warfare - military action involving the use of electromagnetic energy to determine or exploit or reduce or prevent hostile use of the electromagnetic spectrum EW military action, action - a military engagement; "he saw action in Korea" Handbook 2005 to their offering Missile attacks on civil airliners have led to calls for these aircraft to be fitted with defensive aids suites. This is a good idea in principle, but raises many questions around issues of practicality, cost, certification, national security and insurance - and their may be a smarter way of protecting these aircraft. The threat is from infrared SAMs in MANPADS MANPADS Man-Portable Air Defense System form to airliners on take-off and landing, against which only IR jammers or flares will be effective. The obvious problem with the use of flares in a civil aviation environment is their propensity to start fires on the ground. Routine prophylactic use of flares on take-off and landing is almost certainly unacceptable to communities close to airports. This leaves the reactive use of flares, which means that the DAS must include a missile approach warner, adding an extra layer of complexity and cost. Some companies are offering directional IR countermeasures (DIRCM DIRCM Directed Infrared Countermeasures DIRCM Directional Infrared Countermeasure ) for airliners. There is no doubt that DIRCM systems are the ultimate protection against IR SAMs, but DIRCM they systems are complex and expensive, possibly too much so for civil airliners, and their jam head needs to be cued by a MAW. There may also be an issue of eye-safety with DIRCM lasers, or at least the perception of one. Of course, the potential hazards of CMs must be balanced against consequences of a shoot down. Omni-directional jammers may turn out to be the best compromise for civil aircraft. They can be switched on before take-off and switched off after landing and forgotten about in the mean time. Unfortunately, they won't be able to deal with 'double digit' SAMs - SA-14, -16 and -18, weapons which drove the development of DIRCM. The smarter approach may be to install EW equipment at airports rather than fitting it to airliners. Knowing the take-off and approach angles of aircraft and the performance of SAMs, you can calculate the 'threat footprint' on the ground and position defensive systems to cover it. What's more, if they are to protect every aircraft that uses an airport, the cost of the very highest spec equipment can easily be justified. If you imagine a DIRCM, complete with MAW, on top of a tower, you might just have a vision of the future. Companies Mentioned BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. Chemring Countermeasures EDO Corporation EDO Corporation (NYSE: EDO) is an American company that designs and manufactures products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets, and provides related engineering and professional services. It employs 4,000 people worldwide and had revenues of $715 million in 2006. Filtronic Components Ltd FR Aviation IAI IAI Infection And Immunity (journal) IAI International Alliance for Interoperability IAI Institut für Angewandte Informatik IAI Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research IAI International Association for Identification Elta Kor kor n. See homer2. [Hebrew kôr, from Akkadian kurru, from Sumerian gur, a unit of measurement.] Noun 1. Electronics L3 Cincinnati Electronics L3 Communications - Randtron M/A M/A Manual or Automatic M/A Machine Alteration Com (Tyco Electronics Tyco Electronics was the largest unit of Tyco International Ltd., and the world's leading supplier of passive electronic components. On June 29, 2007 Tyco Electronics became a wholly independent publicly-traded company, along with Covidien, from the breakup of the Tyco conglomerate ) Meggitt Avionics Northrop Grumman Rafael Raven Alliance Rohde & Schwarz Saabtech Symetrics Industries Telemus Terma Times Microwave Systems Wallop Defence Systems Ltd and more... For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c23800 |
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