NASHUA, N.H.---The U.S. Army and Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company, have successfully completed major flight testing of the U.S. Military's AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS). These risk reduction tests, which included more than 18 hours flight time on an Army helicopter, demonstrated high system performance and maturity of the Sanders-developed CMWS.
Dr. Steve Messervy, DoD's ATIRCM/CMWS Program Manager, noted that the system "performed extremely well during the flight tests. We're pleased with the progress on the program, and are looking forward to the next series of demonstrations for this critical Tri-Service requirement.''
Between Aug. 4 and Sept. 2, 12 flight tests were flown on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter by Army crews from the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) at Fort Eustis, Va. The CMWS, including sensors, was installed on a test platform inside the helicopter, and signals registered from the flights were collected on a Test and Instrumentation Package (TIP) on-board the Blackhawk.
In flights over and around the Fort Eustis area, the system was exposed to both staged and actual industrial and military ultra-violet sources at varying ranges, altitudes and weather conditions. Dimitri Nazarenko, Sanders' ATIRCM/CMWS system engineering manager said, "The nature of these tests is important because it gives us high confidence the system will meet stringent false alarm requirements in an operational environment.''
The CMWS consists of an electro-optic sensor, designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Infrared Imaging Systems (LMIRIS) of Lexington, Mass., and an electronic control unit (ECU) developed by Sanders. The ECU processes threat data and provides cueing for expendables and directable infrared (IR) jammer elements of the Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM) System. The CMWS employs as many as six sensors, depending on aircraft type. System performance trials are scheduled for later this year and contractor flight tests will begin next year.
The CMWS is part of the ATIRCM/CMWS program being developed by Sanders. The Engineering and Manufacturing Development program will produce the next-generation directable, laser-based countermeasures system for protection of aircraft against heat-seeking missile threats and will develop and produce a common missile warning system for U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force aircraft.
Sanders is an operating company of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. In addition to aircraft self-protection systems, Sanders is a major producer of tactical surveillance and intelligence systems for all branches of the armed forces. Other major business areas include microwave, mission and space electronics, and automated mission planning systems.
