L-3 celebrates 200th installation of Northrop Grumman aircraft self-protection system

L-3 Crestview Aerospace announced today its 200th consecutive on-time, on-budget installation of Northrop Grumman Corporation's self-protection systems aboard U.S. Air Force C-130 and H-53 aircraft. The milestone was celebrated with a ceremony April 29 at the L-3 facility in Crestview, Fla.

The installations included multiple variants and configurations of Northrop Grumman's AN/AAQ-24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) system. The IRCM team also includes Lockheed Martin , which provides installation engineering, manufacturing and program management.

The only such aircraft protection system currently in production, Northrop Grumman's AN/AAQ-24(V) DIRCM system is now installed or scheduled for installation on several hundred military aircraft to protect approximately 48 different types of large fixed-wing transports and rotary-wing platforms from infrared missile attacks.

The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.

L-3 Crestview Aerospace fabricated each of the 200 DIRCM/LAIRCM aircraft installation kits it has installed, as well as spares and kits for installation at other sites. There were more than 33 different configurations based on aircraft-unique specifications and customer requirements.

"In our eight years of performance, our operation delivered despite six major hurricanes that several times shut us down for days," said Barry Steiner, president of L-3 Crestview Aerospace. "Our team also adjusted to meet military operational requirements that forced late aircraft arrivals or early departures."

"On-time delivery of 200 installations was achieved and sustained by the strong work ethic of a highly integrated product team," said Paul Monseur, director of Modernization and Sustainment at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY. "Congratulations to the IRCM team for this milestone and your continued commitment to our nation's aircrews."

"Since the program's inception, this outstanding aerospace partnership has continued to serve as a model for the rest of our industry when it comes to teamwork and collaboration," said Joe Magnelli, director, Domestic Infrared Countermeasures Programs at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division. "The work we do here provides the most robust, battle-proven capability to protect the warfighter on the battlefield today."