CIRCM countermeasure ready for full-rate production

Northrop Grumman’s Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system has moved a step closer to series production. 

In a 15 March announcement, the company said that CIRCM had been declared operationally suitable, effective, and ready for full-rate production (FRP) following a successful six-month initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) activity. The FRP decision authorises production of up to 596 units for the US Army.

A lightweight, directed infrared countermeasures system designed to replace BAE Systems’ OT-225 Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system, CIRCM is designed to protect rotary-wing, tilt-rotor, and small fixed wing aircraft against infrared (IR)-guided manportable air defence systems (MANPADS). The dual-head CIRCM system comprises dual compact pointer-tracker units, dual lasers, and a system processor unit. The pointer-tracker units are provided by Leonardo in the UK and the lasers utilise Quantum Cascade Laser technology.

The Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) conducted IOT&E of the CIRCM system from June to November 2019. Integrated on the UH-60M Black Hawk, the system flight tests took place in environments characterised by heavy foliage, littoral, mountainous, snowy, and urban and industrial infrared and ultraviolet clutter. ATEC testing incorporated hardware-in-the-loop activities from the Integrated Threat Warning Laboratory located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio; the Threat Signal Processor-in-the-Loop facility located at Naval Air Weapons Center China Lake, California; and the Guided Weapons Evaluation Facility located at Eglin AFB, Florida.

An early variant of Northrop Grumman’s Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system (Northrop Grumman)