Today, just nine of the Army’s 540 acquisition programs use the streamlined Software Pathway, but senior officials told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview they aim to "exponentially" increase that number by the end of next year.
The U.S. Army Clears Full-Rate Production Of Northrop Grumman’s CIRCM (Common Infrared Countermeasures)
The U.S. Army Clears Full-Rate Production Of Northrop Grumman’s CIRCM (Common Infrared Countermeasures)
An aircrew from 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division taxis out of the Redstone Test Center Airfield at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. to an air assault mission during operational testing of the CIRCM. In the box: one of the jammers of the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system. (Photos: U.S. Army/ Northrop Grumman)
The new CIRCM system will equip all the service’s current helicopters, beginning from the UH-60M Black Hawk, and the Future Vertical Lift helicopters in development.
7 The rotary wing aircraft is a key Army capability. From the ever present UH/HH-60 Black Hawk family to the CH-47 Chinook, the AH-64 Apache, and the relatively new UH-72 Lakota, these aircraft have become significant force multipliers. These aircraft transport personnel and equipment, and deliver lethal firepower, across every imaginable terrain and environment. In addition, the ability of rotary wing aircraft to land and take off from just about anywhere is essential to the role of military quick reaction forces and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) teams.
All these airframes and missions have one thing in common: they need protection in the air. No one knows this better than Project Manager Aircraft Survivability Equipment (PM ASE); its right there in the name, after all. And in 2020, Product Manager Infrared Countermeasures (PdM IRCM) pushed hard to hone their product to a sharper edge.