JETEYE enters new phase

BAE Systems has entered Phase III of the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) program to protect commercial airliners against infrared guided missiles.

BAE Systems’ JETEYE system is based on the US Army’s Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures system to protect military aircraft. The system was flown and tested against simulated man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), on an American Airlines Boeing 767 in late 2005.

During the 18-month Phase III program, JETEYE will continue flying on the same American Airlines 767 and will also fly on an ABX Air cargo aircraft to continue the reduction of the potential cost to the airline industry by streamlining system installation, reducing aerodynamic drag, and improving reliability and maintainability.

‘We took technology that protects the lives of our service men and women every day and integrated it in a system that has proven its effectiveness on a commercial platform,’ said Burt Keirstead, BAE Systems program director for JETEYE in Nashua, New Hampshire. ‘A key tenet of the Phase III program is to refine the technology, improving reliability and minimizing cost.’