BAE Systems (www.baesystems.com/home) has announced that its Advanced Threat Infra-red Countermeasures system for helicopters and other aircraft has been approved for export by the US Department of Defense.

The system can now be sold to allied nations around the world, giving them access to technology developed in partnership with the US army and has been deployed on US military helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2009.

Bill Staib, director of threat management solutions at BAE Systems, said: “In today’s environment, with the proliferation of surface-to-air missiles, a proven aircraft survivability system to counter advanced threats meets an immediate need. We are seeing tremendous international interest for this system, which has proven to be both highly effective and reliable since its fielding in 2009.”

Mr Staib confirmed that the company is already in talks with several countries in the Middle East and elsewhere about potential orders. He said that some of those discussions had been underway for several years, and BAE could finalise an initial foreign deal before the end of the year.

The system detects an incoming missile and communicates its position relative to the aircraft. It then emits a high-energy laser beam to defeat the missile’s infra-red seeker, effectively blinding its guidance system and preventing it from homing in on the aircraft.

With more than 40 years of experience in threat management, BAE Systems has supplied more than 15,000 infra-red and electronic counter-measures systems world-wide.