The U.S. Army intends to sell the Common Infrared Countermeasures system to international allies and partners.
According to Col. Brock Zimmerman, program manager for aircraft survivability equipment at the Army, countries have expressed interest in acquiring the CIRCM system.
All the service needs to begin offering the technology to foreign militaries is approval from the appropriate authorities.
“We just have to work through the process to make sure we’re doing everything legally as we engage with these countries and deliver them our capabilities,” shared Zimmerman in an interview with Signal Media.
CIRCM is a defensive system that promises to protect aircraft from surface-to-air infrared missile threats. Based on technology developed by Northrop Grumman, it is a lightweight product that interfaces with the Army’s Common Missile Warning System and future missile warning systems.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency is in charge of foreign military sales in accordance with the Arms Export Control Act.
Zimmerman said his team is working with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation to approve the CIRCM for FMS, but the process might take about two years.
The Program Office for Aircraft Survivability Equipment offers other aircraft survivability systems to international government customers.
“A lot of our systems are popular,” Zimmerman commented. “We already have the Limited Interim Missile Warning System as well. And then we’re also upgrading our radar warning receiver; we just awarded a contract for that back in December. And once we get through our development cycle, I’m assuming that those systems that are recently on contract will be offered to our partners and allies.”
LIMWS delivers infrared-guided missile and hostile fire warning to military rotorcraft. BAE Systems manufactures the technology.