Airbus to fly new CUAS UAV prototype this year
The counter-UAS prototype, named Low-cost Air Defence or ‘LOAD’, will be used to combat kamikaze UAS.
Miysis DIRCM system. (Photo: Leonardo)
Leonardo on 29 June announced a contract to provide its Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) missile protection system for an unnamed Middle Eastern government’s new VVIP transport aircraft.
Miysis will be installed on a Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft (the first of its type to be selected by a government customer). The aircraft is expected to enter service in 2022.
The DIRCM system will provide ‘complete spherical protection for the aircraft and, uniquely for a system of its size, can output more than enough laser energy to protect the Global 7500 aircraft from even the most modern infrared-guided (heat-seeking) missile threats’, Leonardo noted.
The latest contract follows orders for Miysis DIRCM from the UK (for the Shadow R1 ISTAR aircraft), Canada (for the CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft) and three other NATO customers, as well as several non-NATO customers.
Miysis DIRCM works by shining a high-powered laser onto an incoming missile’s targeting system, ‘dazzling’ it and guiding the missile away from the aircraft.
Unlike competing products, Leonardo claimed, Miysis DIRCM can defend against multiple, simultaneous incoming missiles and the latest generation of shoulder-launched IR-guided MANPADS.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, Miysis can be used as a standalone DIRCM or integrated with other onboard self-protection systems.
The counter-UAS prototype, named Low-cost Air Defence or ‘LOAD’, will be used to combat kamikaze UAS.
The aircraft is the first of 66 to be delivered to Taiwan from Lockheed Martin.
The contract award, worth $240 million, is part of the ongoing effort by the US Army to modernise its Block II Chinook rotorcraft fleet.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has been substantially refreshed in the past two decades including F-35A and F/A-18F fighter aircraft, as well as the addition of transport aircraft such as C-17s, C-130 variants and C-27Js. Additional aircraft may only be a medium-term prospect.
Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) industrial plan is ambitious and promises big spending in an effort to create a local and sovereign capability. Companies at last week’s Australian International Airshow near Melbourne were making their pitches.
The Strix test effort suffered a setback last year when the prototype incurred minor damage in a hard landing during its second trial flight.