Flight security

Improved Defense for VIP Aircraft

The U.S. will sell India equipment similar to the one used on the two ‘Air Force One’ Boeing 747 aircraft that carry the US president. The deal includes two Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures Self-Protection Suites (SPS) for VIP jets.
The systems consist of AN/AAQ 24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM), ALQ-211(V)8 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS), and AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing System (CMDS) to protect two Boeing-777 Head-of-State aircraft, according to a U.S. State Department statement.
The Foreign Military Sale approved by the US government will reach $190 million. If cleared by the Senate, the potential sale enters negotiations, meaning dollar totals and quantities can change.
The LAIRCM is a directional, active IR jammer that is designed to defeat a wide range of ground-fired IR (heat-seeking) missiles. The system jams the infrared missile seekers through the sensor aperture, causing the missile to miss the intended target. LAIRCM automatically detects a missile launch, determines if it is a threat, and activates a high-intensity, laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.
According to defence-blog.com, the LAIRCM system includes sensors, electronic warfare equipment and high-energy lasers, which work in an integrated manner to protect the host aircraft from ‘heat-seeking’ missiles that home in on a target’s infra-red signature.