Laser Missile-Jamming System Passes Tests

A laser-based directional infrared countermeasures system that was demonstrated by Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Systems and Sensors Sector in Rolling Meadows, Ill., passed 10 hours of flight tests that simulated five missile defense scenarios. The system, which was mounted on a US Army UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter, has been improved with the inclusion of a solid-state, mid-IR laser that the company developed in collaboration with Fibertek Inc. of Herndon, Va.

The laser, known as Viper, produces multiple wavelengths in the mid-IR band to jam incoming missiles. Weighing less than 10 lb, Viper was able to simultaneously defeat four missile seekers at a range of 3 km in the mock attacks.