OREANDA-NEWS. The use of laser technologies in modern electro-optical countermeasures can ensure effective defense against enemy anti-aircraft missile systems. These technologies are developed by KRET expert engineers.

Lasers, which emerged in the mid-20th century, have played a similar role in the life of humanity as had electricity or radio before them. The invention of lasers opened up new opportunities in manufacturing, medicine, various areas of scientific research, from gene engineering to nanotechnology.

Laser technologies have been used for military applications for a long time. These are not exotic science-fiction weapons, in fact, they are much more real: lasers are used in rangefinders and target indicators, aerospace navigation instruments, as well as systems that protect fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft from guided missiles. Modern laser-based electro-optical countermeasures can ensure reliable and effective counteraction against man-portable air defense systems (MANPAD).

Traps for Smart Missiles

The first models of man-portable guided missile antiaircraft systems were developed in the 1960s.

The appearance of these systems transformed the principles of battlefield tactics. As recently as in the mid-1960s, attack fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters had been able to operate over a battlefield with impunity. Antiaircraft guns could not provide effective defense against them, while then-available AA missiles simply could not aim at and hit targets at low altitudes.

By the end of the 1960s, man-portable systems were created firing IR-guided homing missiles. The missiles' homing devices sought heat exhaust generated by aircraft engines and were highly accurate. In fact, statistical data over the past 25 years suggest that infra-red (IR) guided homing missiles have been responsible for approximately 90% of all aircraft losses in conflicts.

Aircraft manufacturers started looking for protection against heat-seeking homing devices. Infra-red countermeasures, or heat-generating decoys, were proposed for all aircraft likely to face the heat-seeking missile threat. When deployed, they would create a "heat screen" around the aircraft, throwing a "smart" homing missile off course.

These countermeasures proved so effective initially that all combat aircraft around the world were equipped with such detachable IR countermeasures. However, today they are little more than an impressive sight at air shows, and, indeed, you can observe and admire them at just about any air show.

Modern AA missiles no longer react to the colorful show of IR countermeasures. Missiles have become smarter, with their guidance systems capable of instantly analyzing the new targets and sending the missile in pursuit of the receding heat footprint, the aircraft, ignoring the bright, circling, but otherwise largely stationary, IR countermeasures. In this connection, military experts and defense engineers started looking for new ways to protect military fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

Defense experts in many countries reached the conclusion that the most effective countermeasure capable of protecting aircraft against later-generation MANPADs would be highly-directional pinpoint laser countermeasures controlled by more advanced missile launch detection and warning systems.

Using Lasers to Protect Aircraft

These laser systems are designed to detect missile threats and direct the energy of encoded multi-band laser precisely at the seeking head of an incoming homing missile. This would ensure a targeting error and result in the missile missing the aircraft.

Leading Russian defense R&D and manufacturing companies began development of airborne laser countermeasure systems to protect aircraft against MANPAD missiles, led by the Scientific Research and Development Institute Ekran (FSUE NII Ekran), operating as part of KRET, a Rostec subsidiary.

R&D prototype models were designed and manufactured within a short time, which were tested by the manufacturers, demonstrating the high effectiveness of laser-based systems. Unlike similar international single-band (monochromatic) products, the Russian countermeasures system relies on a multi-spectrum laser emitter spanning the entire operating spectrum of heat-seeking heads of all known homing missile types.

By the year 2009, a final production version of the countermeasures system was assembled and named President-S. The new system was tested by protecting various airborne targets against the world's best man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missiles Igla launched at them. After the President-S system was engaged, all missiles were diverted from the target and self-destructed.

Alexander Kobzar, CEO of Zenit, a company which was also involved in development of the laser countermeasures system, used metaphoric language to describe its operation: "A phantom target image is created in the missile's guidance system, and from that point on, its electronic "brain" perceives it as the primary target. A new, out-of-this-world virtual reality is created, which beckons irresistibly. The missile flies into empty space and self-destructs after a pre-determined time."

President-S countermeasures system has not only completed a full range of acceptance tests, but has also been put into active service and is now produced in quantities. The rules currently in effect specify that no new helicopter intended for use in war zones cannot be delivered to the active troops without an man-portable homing missile active countermeasures system installed.

President Defends

President-S can operate without any guidance from a human pilot or operator, according to CEO of NII Ekran Vladimir Butuzov: "The system simply informs the pilot of the angle and direction of the incoming attack, the countermeasures deployed, and about the countermeasures remaining in reserve - the system is fully automated."

President-S comprises an active radar countermeasures generator which jams enemy detection and aiming radars and foils radar-guided homing missiles.

The system extensively employs radar signal digital processing methods, generating radio noise countermeasures. This way, the system can ensure protection for an aircraft in a challenging enemy radar situation, where several radar control and guidance systems operate at the same time.

The President-S hardware, which comes in several separate blocks, can be mounted either within the body of a helicopter or a fixed-wing aircraft or on a hard-point.

The laser countermeasures system weighs 64 kilograms, covers 360° bearings and 90° elevation, and comprises a solid-state laser, a single-transmitter optical-mechanical module, a control module and a power source.

The system can divert at least two simultaneously attacking missiles and operates in all IR frequency bands. It uses an aircraft-missile feedback circuit, identifying the missile type. It is also capable of tracking the missile, pointing the laser beam at it, and identifying the moment of homing failure to become ready to counter the next attack if multiple threats exist.

NII Ekran, which is a KRET subsidiary, is currently the leading company for development and construction of versatile integrated airborne defensive systems designed to protect aircraft against homing missiles.