BAE Systems will support and service aircraft counter-measures systems under a £16m urgent needs contract with the MoD.
The AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System, or CMWS, integrates electronic warfare sensors to detect and defeat infrared-guided missiles. It has been credited with saving multiple aircraft from infrared-guided missiles. CMWS is a passive missile detection and warning system. It consists of up to six electro-optic missile sensors, depending on aircraft type, and an electronic control unit (ECU). The sensors are installed around the aircraft to provide comprehensive coverage and constantly monitor for the signature of a missile. The ECU processes the sensor data and, if it detects an incoming missile, provides cues for countermeasures to defeat the threat missile.
“BAE Systems is a world-class electronic warfare systems supplier and it is recognised for delivering superior product support, training and field service to its military customers,” said Squadron Leader Carl Jones, Missile Warning Systems Manager for the MoD’s Aircraft Sensors, Systems and Platform Protection project team. “We’re confident that this partnership will ensure that UK aircrews have the protection they need to complete their missions.”
CMWS is fielded on more than 120 systems on UK rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including the Chinook and Tornado. Under the new contract, BAE Systems will manage all facets of the supply chain to guarantee availability of CMWS equipment spares to men and women in combat.
Under the five-year, firm-fixed-price availability contract, BAE Systems will provide spare systems and accept returned equipment for depot-level repair in the United States. The programme minimises repair turnaround time, improves system availability, and will reduce total system ownership costs to the MoD. The contract also provides £1.5m for spares equipment to support the program.
“This programme will ensure that MoD rotary- and fixed-wing platforms have spare CMWS equipment available at their deployed operating bases every time they need it,” said Cindy Carpenter, Director of Global Survivability and Support Solutions for BAE Systems. “We’ve promised to deliver the CMWS spares within an hour of any request to ensure our customer has 100 percent mission availability, and our global product support team is committed to no less.”
