Leonardo’s protection system chosen for government’s new VIP Airbus aircraft

Leonardo’s platform protection system has been chosen to protect an Airbus A330 designated for VIP transport by a government customer. The system will be installed by Jet Aviation during VIP completion of the aircraft at its MRO and completion facility. The combination of Miysis DIRCM and MAIR enables the detection, tracking and defeat of multiple incoming missile threats simultaneously. This provides an aircraft with a greater freedom of operation and, with Miysis DIRCM seeing a 100% success rate against all targets in live trials, the peace of mind that it can defend against both modern and legacy infrared missiles. 

Unlike other air protection systems, Miysis DIRCM has no maintenance requirement once installed, and so benefits from minimal through-life costs. There are also no ITAR restrictions on the protection system, providing customers with a greater level of control in how they wish to use their system. 
Infrared missiles such as Man Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) pose a significant threat to aviation, particularly when flying in or around zones of conflict. Miysis DIRCM is trusted to protect a wide range of its customers’ most valuable assets, including those operated by the Royal Air Force as well as other NATO and Middle Eastern nations.

MAIR is a ‘distributed aperture’ threat warning system, fusing data from infrared cameras installed around the aircraft to simultaneously detect and track incoming missiles via their heat signatures, before passing them to Miysis DIRCM. Its high-powered laser is slewed onto the missile’s seeker head, dazzling it so that the missile is unable to track the protected aircraft. 

Compatible on all types of aircraft, Leonardo’s platform protection system can be equipped to helicopters, wide-body aircraft, and everything in between. It is compact, lightweight, and its discrete installation does not affect aircraft performance or existing systems. Operating a common platform protection system also brings the benefits of common training for operators and technicians, and increased access to spares.