Northrop Grumman Corporation has announced the development of a unique capability to assess the performance and effectiveness of its offering for the U.S. Army's Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program, based on an Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) system effectiveness tool created by the company and validated by the U.S. government.

The Northrop Grumman IRCM system effectiveness tool is a software program that simulates engagements between a specific type of aircraft and one or more infrared surface-to-air missile (SAM) threats.

This tool, which was accredited by the U.S. Navy in 2008, enables accurate and cost effective assessments of IRCM system performance against infrared missile threats in a wide variety of aircraft operational scenarios.

It simulates all aspects of engagement, from threat hand-off between the missile warning sensor and the laser beam director, through defeat of the missile, using empirical data to model IRCM system performance.

The CIRCM system is planned for installation on such key military platforms as the Blackhawk, Apache, Chinook, C-20, V-22 Osprey, Super Cobra and Super Huey.

"Our validated IRCM tool models the demonstrated effectiveness of our IR countermeasures against a variety of SAMs based upon empirical test data collected at government facilities such as the U.S. Air Force's Guided Weapons Evaluation Facility," said Carl Smith, vice president of Infrared Countermeasures Programs for Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division. "Use of these platform models in our system effectiveness tools allows us to accurately assess our CIRCM system performance, ensuring it will be mission-ready when our warfighters need it."

Northrop Grumman's directional infrared countermeasures system is the only such aircraft protection system currently in full-scale production and installed on over 500 hundred military aircraft to protect approximately 50 different types of rotary-wing platforms and large fixed-wing transports from heat seeking missile attacks.

The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat to the aircraft and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.