Alion to analyze missile countermeasures

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MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Competing designs for countermeasures systems for missile detection will be analyzed for the U.S. Army by Alion Science and Technology.

The three-year, $2 million award was given by the U.S. Army Aircraft Survivability Equipment project office to support the ongoing design and development of Army aircraft countermeasures systems.

"Aircraft survivability equipment protects the people who safeguard our nation," said Chris Amos, Alion senior vice president and manager of the Technology Solutions Group said. "Improvements to these systems not only provide additional security for the warfighter but also offer pilots the ability to be autonomous. Aircrews do not have to divert their attention from their primary mission to counter a Man-Portable Air Defense System or other missile threat."

The Army is upgrading its Advance Threat Infrared Countermeasures system with the new Common Infrared Countermeasures system. Both of these laser-based systems are designed to be fully integrated with military service aircraft countermeasures equipment suites that include passive missile warning and detection. However, CIRCM is required to be smaller, lighter and more reliable.

Alion has supported the ASE project office since 2006.

Under the new contract, Alion will provide subject matter expertise to analyze competing designs for CIRCM to assure that system reliability and availability requirements are achieved and that the system can be produced to comply with requirements. Alion will also provide recommendations pertaining to system testing, test failures and failure investigations.

The work was awarded as a task order under the Defense Technical Information Center's WSTIAC contract.

WSTIAC, operated by Alion, is one of the nine Defense Technical Information Center Information Analysis Centers. The IACs house libraries of information that are focused on specific technology areas, in addition to providing technical expertise in these areas.