26 May 11. ITT Corporation has developed a groundbreaking countermeasures system to protect helicopters from shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles. This system, recently submitted as a candidate for the U.S. military’s Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program, employs an innovative open-system architecture and rugged fiber optic technology to reduce weight while maintaining system reliability. The potential overall value of the CIRCM program is estimated at $1.5bn. As helicopters have become more instrumental in humanitarian, relief and military operations in remote and potentially dangerous locations around the world, the requirement for effective, lightweight defenses against ground-based threats has also increased. ITT’s solution results from a multi-year investment to design, develop and mature infrared countermeasures technology that will meet future needs while addressing the known deficiencies of legacy systems.
“Drawing on our 50 years of electronic warfare systems experience, we’ve integrated the best components from across the industry and have taken a truly modular approach to address the Army’s evolving infrared guided threats,” said
Chris Bernhardt, president of ITT Electronic Systems. “Further, our system will move laser energy more efficiently and effectively through our use of advanced fiber optic technology, increasing system reliability while significantly reducing weight.”
The company has completed four rounds of testing on the system at a U.S. military facility, surpassing the CIRCM program’s reliability, temperature and modularity requirements. These tests also demonstrated the effectiveness of ITT’s Modular Open Systems Architecture, which allows the system to integrate with a number of existing components and adapt to changing threat environments. In government-supervised field exercises, the ITT system operated successfully with several different missile warning systems and countermeasures lasers. (Source: Yahoo!/BUSINESS WIRE)

01 Jun 11. TenCate Defender M included in Australian extensive Multi Cam user trial. TenCate Protective Fabrics USA has supplied TenCate Defender(tm) M inherently Flame Resistant fabric for use in an extensive user trial for Australian Defence Force currently in action in Afghanistan. The uniforms for the Australian soldiers involved were manufactured by Crye Precision(tm) in Brooklyn (New York, USA) and printed with the Multi Cam(r) pattern. Select members of the Australian Defence Force serving “outside the wire” in Afghanistan will be issued garments made with TenCate Defender(tm) M. The combination of the technical textiles expertise of TenCate and the innovative apparel design of Crye Precision(tm) ensures that Australian forces will receive the best protection and maximum comfort. TenCate Defender(tm) M is currently worn by every United States deployed ground troop in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

31 May 11. Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, will develop innovative solutions to protect ships of the Canadian Navy against new types of asymmetric threats. Under the designation LOCATES (= Laser Optical Countermeasures and Surveilllance Against Threat Environment Scenarios), the Defence Research Development Canada (DRDC), Valcartier, Québec, awarded Cassidian a contract to apply new technologies to detect and counter laser-based threats in harbors and littoral waters. The program is the answer to increasing threats by laser designators and laser-guided weapons which are widely distributed and easy to operate. Navy ships are particularly vulnerable in a littoral environment where attacks are difficult to be detected without sufficient pre-warning time. Therefore, LOCATES aims at the development of a detection and tracking capability together with a reliable laser countermeasure system. A prototype system shall be developed and field tested by 2013. In a close cooperation between Cassidian and DRDC, the programme will include technol