The Pentagon will spend upward of $1.5 billion for smaller, lighter and more reliable infrared countermeasure systems to keep U.S. choppers from being taken down by small arms and shoulder-fired missiles.
A heat-seeking missile bearing down on an aircraft zeros in on the infrared signature of its exhaust. In the past the aircraft might deploy flares or, if the plane was large enough, it might use a rudimentary laser to disrupt the incoming missile's guidance system. Neither of these approaches has proved reliable enough for the U.S. military's liking, which is why the Army is considering new type of infrared countermeasure (IRCM) system that uses a smaller, more nimble solid-state laser designed to better protect helicopters and other low-flying aircraft from small arms and shoulder-fired missile attacks such as those that are so prevalent in Afghanistan and Iraq (pdf).
The Army's choice of updated IRCM systems is expected in a few months, which is why several defense contractors developing this technology are making a serious push for consideration at this week's annual Association of the United States Army meeting and expo in Washington, D.C.