Hensoldt to protect Ukraine's helicopters against missile threat
Hensoldt's AMPS has been installed on a wide range of helicopter types and will now help protect Ukrainian helicopters against missile threats. (Image: Hensoldt)
Hensoldt will supply 16 self-protection systems for an unspecified Ukrainian military helicopter type, with the Mil Mi-24 being a likely candidate.
Germany's Hensoldt has been contracted to fit helicopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with detection and self-protection sensor technology.
The order comprises 16 AMPS Airborne Missile Protection System packages with a value in the double-digit million Euro range. Czech system integrator LOM Praha will carry out the installation work.
'With the delivery of AMPS, we are ensuring an increase in the defence capability of the Ukrainian helicopters," said Tanya Altmann, division manager Optronics & Land Solutions and MD of Hensoldt Optronics.
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'By integrating onto this platform for the first time, we are protecting crews from a wide range of threats, especially surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.'
AMPS is a self-contained self-protection system for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft with a modular design allowing it to be configured to meet specific operational requirements.
Main subsystems are a Missile Launch Detection Sensor (MILDS), Advanced Control and Display Unit (ACDU) and Active Acknowledgement System (MACS), which determines range and speed of detected missiles and reduces false alarms.
Existing countermeasure dispensing systems on the helicopters can continue to operate with the AMPS configuration.
While Hensoldt's announcement did not specify the aircraft type, Shephard Defence Insight reports that AMPS has previously been installed on the Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17, which Ukraine operates in quantity.
Given Altmann's reference to integration onto a new platform, this suggests that the most likely aircraft to be equipped will be from Ukraine's Mil Mi-24 fleet. The Czech Republic has donated a number of Mi-24s to Ukraine since the conflict began, which makes LOM Praha's involvement a logical fit,
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