US Navy starts RFCM pod trials from P-8A Poseidon

The US Navy (USN) has begun flight testing a new pod-mounted radio frequency countermeasure (RFCM) prototype developed for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

A first airworthiness flight was completed by the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX 20) on 12 March at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Atlantic Test Ranges. The pod has subsequently undertaken further testing at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California.

The new RFCM decoy, which integrates BAE Systems' existing AN/ALE-55 Fibre Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) within an underwing pod, has been developed in response to a requirement raised by the Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR's) Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office (PMA-290) to improve P-8A platform self-protection against RF-guided surface-to-air missile threats. While the P-8A is already equipped with the Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-24 Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures System for protection against infrared threats, it has no active protection against radar-guided threats.

According to NAVAIR, it has taken just over a year from the start of the programme to getting the RFCM pod into test. PMA-290 initially worked with the Advanced Tactical Aircraft Protection Systems Program Office (PMA-272), the Rapid Prototyping, Experimentation & Demonstration (RPED) team, and the NAWCAD Aircraft Prototype Systems Division (APSD) to establish the basis for the programme. The RPED team supported APSD in designing a shell based on the certified AGM-84 Harpoon missile shape, engineering the tracks and housing to accommodate and deploy the AN/ALE-55 FOTD.