Paris Air Show 2019: Leonardo launches MAIR missile warning system

Italy’s Leonardo has launched a new hostile fire indicator system, known as the Multiple Aperture Infrared (MAIR) system.

MAIR can provide spherical IR-based protection to a range of aircraft platforms, including rotary- and fixed-wing systems, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and potentially commercial aircraft. Leonardo executives told Jane’s ahead of the Paris Air Show that the system had been engineered to address a long-standing problem within on-board missile defence systems, as single warning systems have a blind spot because of their mounting position.

The MAIR system features five to six detection systems that can give an aircraft full spherical protection. (Leonardo)

MAIR is designed to be part of a wider defensive aids suite to assist in detecting, identifying, tracking, classifying, and declaring targets, and then cue an appropriate counter-measure system from the aircraft.

The system utilises five or six IR detector heads, with the five-headed variant providing 360°×270° coverage, and the six-headed variant providing full coverage. According to Leonardo, each sensor head weighs less than 2 kg, and operates with less than 24 W of power. Environmental operating temperatures range from -40°C to +71°C.

Each optical head has a video output that can be used for video presentation to pilots and crew through either helmet displays or cockpit display systems.

Testing of the system took place in 2018, with full-rate production expected from 2020. The background technology leverages the company’s experience in infrared search and track (IRST) systems on the Saab Gripen E and Eurofighter Typhoon.

An announcement on a potential customer is expected in the coming months.