A new air defense laser built by Team Pellonia, comprising Leonardo UK, Thales UK and the British defense ministry’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, will be installed on the Royal Air Force’s intelligence-gathering aircraft Shadow R2 and A400M transporter, among other units.
According to the British government, the team conducted successful live trials at the Vidsel Test Range in Sweden, during which the laser defeated various infrared heat-seeking missiles within a few seconds.
The new defense capability uses Thales’ Elix-IR, a threat warning system designed to provide timely and accurate tracking and identification of threats. The missile defense system is also equipped with Leonardo’s Miysis directed IR countermeasure to precisely hit threats with a jamming laser.
According to Mark Stead, Leonardo UK’s senior vice president of Radar and Advanced Targeting, Miysis DIRCM proved its capability once again as a reliable and effective protection system, noting that it currently operates on various aircraft platforms.