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EW Test Sets and Stimulation

The following is a brief description of some of our test and stimulation products.

Contents:
Background Information
IR Jammers
UV/IR Missile Warners
Laser Warning Receivers
Directed IR Countermeasures
Electro-Optical EW Test and Evaluation Tool
EW End-to-End Testing
Software Management Tools

Background Information

The effectiveness of Airborne Electronic Warfare (EW) protection systems has been central to mission success under battle conditions. However, the dependence placed upon such equipment in terms of aircraft survivability requires assurance that full operational capability is tested and verified immediately before take off.

The ESL Defence family of Flight Line Test Sets and Electro-optic (EO) Training Aids provides aircrew with maximum confidence in their airborne protection systems. For this there is a need to externally stimulate and measure the performance of essential EW systems whilst in operational mode in order to completely satisfy the post installation and pre-flight 'end-to-end' performance at flight line level. The ESL Defence product range addresses the operational test philosophy as only this technique can provide full confidence of operational readiness.

As well as the flightline application, a requirement exists to provide an EO adjunct to EW end-to-end testing for test and evaluation tasks in the laboratory or test bay. All ESL Defence Flight Line Test Sets can be remotely operated via an RS 232/422 serial port to meet such an application.

In addition, to maximise aircraft survivability under battle conditions, it is essential that aircrew receive in-flight training in realistic threat environments. To facilitate this ESL Defence can supply longer range stimulators.

In meeting the above requirements the ESL Defence family of Flight Line Test Sets and EO Training Aids can provide test and evaluation of EO/IR (infra- red) passive missile warners, IR jammers and Directed IR Countermeasure systems for all test applications.

SOLENT

IR Jammers

Flight Line IR Jammer Test Set to provide maximum confidence to aircrew that an IR jammer is transmitting correctly. The Solent test set will confirm that the correct jamming code has been selected and the intensity of the jamming signal. Solent has been successfully tested with ALQ-144, ALQ-157, MIRTS and Challenger.

BARINGA

The IR and UV (ultra violet) Baringa flight line missile warner test sets provide maximum confidence to aircrew that a missile warner system is receiving and declaring a threat correctly.

The Baringa test set emits a number of unclassified threat signatures, either in the spectral IR or temporal UV domain.

Baringa 5, and earlier Baringa variants, have been successfully tested with AN/AAR-47, -54, -57, MAWS 200 and -60 passive warners and are in service with a number of countries.

ESL Defence has developed a new Flight Line Test Set to provide the confidence testing of Laser Warning Receivers (LWR).

Known as Hydra, the construction of this test set is similar to the Baringa Test Set. The test philosophy is based on the concept of providing a set of test beams, each representing a particular laser threat/class, ie laser range finder, laser target designator, laser beam rider. The product is rugged, hand-held and battery operated.

Hydra has been successfully tested with AAR-47(v)2, AVR-2A, COLDS NG, ALTAS, HIDAS SERIES 1223.

In addition to the new single role tester, ESL Defence can provide an option of adding the LWR test function to the existing MEON test set. This would then provide a single test set that would address the multi-role task of testing missile warners, IR jammers, UV missile warners, laser warners and Directed IR Countermeasure systems.

The ESL Defence MEON provides maximum confidence to aircrew that a DIRCM (Directed IR Countermeasures) system is receiving and jamming correctly. The MEON test set performs an end to end test by stimulating the missile warner (IR or UV), provides an IR source for lock-on by the DIRCM fine tracking system and then finally detects and measures the IR countermeasure.

In addition to performing an end-to-end confidence test, MEON can also be used as an IR Jammer and IR/UV missile warner test set.

MEON supports the AN/AAQ-24 DIRCM in service with British and US armed forces, and is also being used as a test and evaluation tool for CMWS, the US ATIRCM programme.

Future improvements under consideration include the add-on of a Laser Warner Receiver test capability.

ESL Defence has also completed the development of a MEON variant known as MEON(SIL) to address the requirements of a System Integration Laboratory (SIL). MEON(SIL) has been adapted for the customer.

MALLINA

Although originally developed as a range of EW flight line confidence testers, the ESL Defence EO test sets can also perform the role of a Test Evaluation and Analysis Tool. All of the hand-held flight line testers are provided with a means to be tripod mounted, and can be operated in both manual and remote mode. Applications include laboratory, system integration and an in-flight test tool.

Variants have been developed to offer stand-off ranges from 20 mm to in excess of 5 km. The Solent, Baringa and MEON test sets meet the requirements of laboratory applications and the Mallina, MEOS and SUPER MEOS long range systems provide a test and evaluation capability for long range applications. The examples shown are MEOS, SUPER MEOS, ATIRCM MEOS and MALLINA long range EO threat emitters. MEOS and SUPER MEOS can perform the single task of stimulating/measuring IR/UV missile warners and IR jammers, and the multi-task role of performing an end-to-end test of the Directed IR Countermeasure system.

MEOS and SUPER MEOS are being replaced by DIRCM and ATIRCM MALLINA for test and evaluation of Nemesis DIRCM and ATIRCM respectively.

MEOS	SMEOS and BBM (ATIRCM MEOS)
Courtesy of Sierra Research

The range of ESL Defence flight line test sets particularly address the need to perform a pre-mission confidence check of the defensive aids suite. To either complement or introduce as an alternative test philosophy, the user may wish to undertake a comprehensive end-to-end test of the aircraft's EW defensive aids suite.

ESL Defence has already interfaced with a number of end-to-end testers such as the AAI JSECST EW end-to-end Tester. For information on RF products, go to AAI Corporation

All of the ESL Defence Test Sets include an RS 232/422 serial command port and can therefore easily interface with a number of EW testers adopting the same protocol. This allows operators to communicate with the test set for the puposes of:

• Development and leasing of test signals
• Remote control
• Calibration

A number of software tools are available to support the range of ESL Defence Test Sets:

• BARMAN
• EMU
• SOLMAN
• MALCOM
• HCU

For information on EW Test Sets and EW Training Aids contact:

Chris South
Sales Manager
Tel: +44 (0)23 8045 5110
Fax: +44 (0)23 8074 4200
e-mail: chris.south@esldefence.co.uk

ESL Defence Limited, Part of the AAI Corporation Group
Company Registration No. 2642013

16 Compass Point, Ensign Way, Hamble, Southampton, Hampshire, SO31 4RA, UK Tel: +44 (0)23 8045 5110 Fax: +44 (0)23 8074 4200

Email: esl@esldefence.co.uk