May 9 (UPI) -- Leonardo is partnering with the British Royal Air Force's Rapid Capability Office to develop the next generation of decoy counter-measures for fighter aircraft, the company announced today.
The partnering -- the first joint project by the new office created to bring new technologies to the warfighter -- will use Leonardo's BriteCloud EAD technology for the development of new expendable active decoys.
It will also act to get Leonardo's existing BriteCloud EAD system approved for operational use, Leonardo said.
BriteCloud is a radar jamming decoy. It can be deployed from a standard chaff and flare dispenser, and draws an incoming missile away from the targeted aircraft.
BriteCloud is a second-generation, expendable active decoy that uses enhanced on-board jamming techniques. The Leonardo/RCS teaming will lead to a jointly develop third-generation expendable active decoy.
