miysis dircm: the smallest, lightest multi-head dircm...

November 2019

Miysis DIRCM: the smallest, lightest multi-head DIRCM system available today

Stuart Chapman

Technical FellowCapability Manager, EO/[email protected]

2© 2019 Leonardo MW Ltd – All rights reserved

Presentation Outline

• The need for DIRCM – the IR MANPAD Threat;

• Leonardo DIRCM System / Airborne EO Heritage;

• Key DIRCM System design drivers and what this actually means in terms of parameters that you can (and should) measure and test;

• Miysis DIRCM Outline System Description;

• Recent Test and Evaluation Activities;

• Conclusions.

© 2019 Leonardo MW Ltd – All rights reserved

The need for DIRCM – the IR MANPAD Threat


FN-6 extensively used in Syria – Video’s posted on the web


Leonardo Airborne Laser, EO Systems & DIRCM Heritage


Airborne DIRCM, Lasers & Electro-Optic Systems Heritage

• A global leader in the development, manufacture and support of airborne laser and electro-optic pointing and stabilisation systems for over 40 years.

- Designed and manufactured a number of airborne electro-optical targeting systems over this period;

- Currently provide lasers for a significant portion of the world’s airborne laser designator systems, including JSF EOTS, LM Sniper, Litening NG and Apache M-TADS.

• Began working with UK MoD on DIRCM in the late 1980’s - Selected in 1995 as the supplier of DIRCM Pointer/Trackers for the AN/AAQ-24(V) System:

- Since then, over 2400 combat-proven DIRCM Pointer/Trackers of various types have been built and deployed on over 50 aircraft types including fixed, tilt-rotor and rotary wing.

• The Miysis DIRCM System is our latest generation DIRCM product:

- Capitalised heavily on key IR sensor, laser and sightline control technology developed with significant internal and UK Government investment;

- Now fully qualified, in operational use and in volume production for several customers, following extensive development, test and evaluation.


Key DIRCM System Considerations


Key DIRCM Considerations • DIRCM systems defeat IR MANPADS by injecting modulated laser energy directly into the

threat missile seeker, disrupting the seeker tracking & guidance algorithms and preventing the missile from tracking its target;

• Rapid disruption of missile seeker is clearly essential for close-range engagements, where missile time of flight is extremely short; however, it is also important for longer range engagements, as early application of jamming modulation can significantly increase the probability of rapid and effective threat defeat;

• Four fundamental parameters contribute to the overall capability of a DIRCM System to defeat a threat MANPAD missile:

− Effective System Coverage over the missile engagement envelope: a clear laser line of sight from the DIRCM to the missile seeker is required;

− The Time to achieve effective Energy on Target (TEoT) following missile launch must be minimised;

− The Energy on Target (EoT) into the missile seeker must be maximised: this, in combination with the target platform signature provides the required effective Jam to Signal ratio (J/S) necessary to defeat the threat seeker;

− Jam Code Effectiveness: The jamming modulation employed must be effective against the full range of potential threat seekers; it is vital that the time taken to have an effect on any particular type of seeker is minimised. This topic will not be covered further in this presentation.


Time to Achieve Energy-on-Target (TEoT)


Time to Achieve Energy-on-Target (TEoT)

• The TEoT is a combination of several sub-system parameters, including:

- The time taken for the MWS to detect the threat and pass the threat cue data to the DIRCM System;

- The time taken for the DIRCM System to allocate the threat to a Pointer/Tracker, and for the allocated Pointer/Tracker to slew to the cued threat, acquire track on the threat, centre the threat on the laser boresight and to commence laser firing.

• Note: While for the Miysis DIRCM System the dominant contributor to TEoT is the generally the MWS declaration (or more usually a pre-declaration or un-confirmed threat indication), many other systems take appreciably longer to slew, acquire the target, centre the laser beam and begin firing.

- Some systems even have a two field-of-view sensor, requiring a switch to the narrow field of view and subsequent re-acquisition of the target before beginning laser firing.


Energy-on-Target


Energy-on-Target (Actually Incident Irradiance at the Seeker)The EoT capability of a DIRCM system is driven by a large number of system parameters, including:

• The actual laser beam characteristics when it is output from the DIRCM Laser Pointer/Tracker dome. (Note: this should NOT be confused with the beam characteristics of the laser before being integrated with the Pointer / Tracker):

- Beam width / divergence(s);

- Beam shape and beam quality and band co-alignment;

- Output beam power in each jamming pulse (in the appropriate band(s) that the threat seeker is operating);

- Jamming pulse to jamming pulse stability (power, divergence & alignment).

• The system laser sightline tracking accuracy: Note that this should NOT be confused with the video tracking performance. It is the accuracy with which the laser sightline tracks the missile seeker (at jam code modulation frequencies). In addition to the video tracking and the sightline control system performance, this includes:

- Laser to fine-track-sensor residual alignment error (i.e. the error between the laser boresight and the track datum) – Miysis DIRCM has a continuous laser boresight correction [CABS] module designed to minimise this error;

- The accuracy with which the system tracks the missile seeker (rather than the missile itself).

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The Leonardo Miysis DIRCM System: Outline Description


Miysis DIRCM SystemThe Miysis DIRCM is the result of a company funded development and qualification programme, the output of which is:

• Available today;

• In operational service;

• Capable of protecting the full range rotary, turbo-prop fixed wing and jet transport platforms against advanced MANPADS with a single design solution;

• Fully exportable, subject to UK Government approval (i.e. No US export constraints);

• The smallest, lightest and least power hungry multi-head DIRCM system available;

• Fully qualified for rotary, turbo-prop fixed wing and jet transport platforms;

• In volume production for multiple customers (for installation on fixed wing jet, turbo-prop & rotary wing);

• Designed from the outset to provide a spiral development path for emergent threats:

- Leonardo continues to invest significantly in product development.


Total System Weight (excluding MWS):

37.6kgs

Dimensions:270mm (L) 341mm (H) 183mm (W)

ElectronicsUnit

5.7kg

CockpitInterface Unit

1.1kg

Laser Pointer/Tracker

(Effecter)15.4kg

Laser Pointer/Tracker

(Effecter)15.4kg

DIRCM-Capable Missile Warning Sub-system (MWS)

DAS Controller or Aircraft

Display System

The Miysis DIRCM System


Miysis System: Laser Pointer/Tracker (Effecter)• Two (or three) Laser Pointer/Trackers per system to achieve

required coverage;

• Two-axis servo mechanism enclosed by a sapphire dome (Hyper-hemispherical coverage);

• Strap-down inertial sensor;

• A mid-wave, CMT, focal plane array sensor with long-life cooler;

• Co-linear optics for laser transmission and camera sightline with continuous automatic laser boresighting;

• Servo control and interface electronics to provide for a fully digital interface with the DIRCM System Control Processor;

• Extremely rapid Time to Energy-on-Target (TEoT) capability;

• Laser Line-of-Sight (LoS) stabilisation and seeker tracking commensurate with achieving very high Energy-on-Target (EoT);

- Multi-watt / multi-band IRCM laser output;

- Accurate beam co-alignment & very narrow nominal beam divergence.


Miysis System: Electronics Unit

• This unit comprises a ruggedized COTS chassis with two principle modules, an FPGA module and a processor module:

• Resident in these modules are:

- DIRCM system control, moding, threat prioritisation and sub-system interface software;

- Multi-head DIRCM System operation logic and control;

- 2-axis sightline stabilisation and control algorithms (software and firmware), including near/through nadir tracking capability;

- Image optimisation, stare time control and scene based pixel non-uniformity correction algorithms (software and firmware);

- Acquisition and track algorithms, derived from long-standing Leonardo capabilities, optimised for the DIRCM application (software and firmware);

- Automatic DIRCM / DIRCM and MWS / DIRCM alignment processing;

- IRCM laser firing control software.


Miysis System – Extensive Development Test and Evaluation


The Importance of Test and EvaluationGiven the critical nature of air platform protection, it is essential that any DIRCM System development is supported by extensive test and evaluation;The Miysis DIRCM system and its sub-system components have been subjected to extensive development test and evaluation over the last nine years, including: • Extensive Lab and SIL based development testing;• Independent reliability characterisation and performance characterisation;• US based dry and wet-shot live-fire testing;• Combined target and own-ship motion full system testing, characterisation

and performance validation;• Operationally representative ground trials;• Helicopter flight trials;• Further reliability demonstration and growth testing;• UK MoD CDAS Programme (SIL, ground and flight trials);• 2014 multi-national ground and flight trials;• 2014 multi-national missile live-fire trials;• Production standard system Design Verification/Qualification Testing.

• Independent customer lead IV&V;• Post DVT/Qual field testing, including recent dry & wet-shot live-fire testing.


Leonardo SIL


SIL for Multi-Head /Multi MWS Sensor DIRCM System Testing• Full motion robot arm on which a complete multi-head DIRCM system can be mounted in a

representative configuration;

• Includes a target motion simulator, which moves the target module at rates and accelerations commensurate with the most demanding missile motions that might be seen during an engagement;

• The target module contains co-located UV and IR controllable sources and a very high frame rate focal plane array imager.


UK C-DAS Programme


UK MoD Common Defensive Aids System (C-DAS) Programme• Extensive Lab and SIL Testing:

- Twin-Head Operation, MWS Hand-off, Pointing, Tracking and Energy-on-Target over a range of operationally representative conditions, Including combined high rate own-ship motion and target rates.

• Field Trials:

- Two Sets of Field Trials undertaken at DSTL Porton Down using a Dynamic Motion Platform;

- Twin-Head DIRCM System Performance for long range targets in representative clutter, hand-off with multiple MWS sub-systems.

• Fight Testing:

- UK MoD Lynx;

- Twin-Head Operation, MWS Hand-off, Pointing, Tracking and Energy-on-Target for a range of complex test scenarios.


Multi-National Test and Evaluation


2014 Multi-National Ground and Flight Trials • Trials objectives were:

- DIRCM system / jam code effectiveness testing;

- Miysis DIRCM capability demonstration.

• Leonardo provided a pre-production Miysis DIRCM, integrated with a DIRCM-variant AN/AAR-60 MILDS MWS:

- Successfully completed ground trials at the DGA laser range at Cazaux, in early January 2014:

Demonstrated rapid and effective defeat against a spread of representative IR guided MANPAD seekers;

Demonstrated very high EoT, sufficient for large transport aircraft protection.

- Four flights / 72 runs successfully completed:

100% seeker defeat achieved – extremely rapid optical break-lock demonstrated against a spread of representative IR guided MANPAD seekers.


Post DVT/Qualification Miysis DIRCM System Testing


2018 Missile Live-Fire TestingLeonardo recently supported a UK MoD sponsored missile live-fire activity led by the UK DSTL.

• This activity basically comprised two parts:

- Missile live-fire without jamming, to support a range of data gathering by many different teams (dry-shots);

- Missile jamming trials using the Miysis DIRCM System (wet-shots).

• The primary aims and objectives of the UK specific activities were:

- Demonstrate, in a live-fire environment, a complete, operationally representative, UK NDAS-compatible EW System, comprising:

An advanced IR Threat Warner (Elix-IR);

An advanced DIRCM System (Miysis);

A Leonardo (Luton) EW Controller;

An NDAS / SCI-260 compatible architecture;

A UK MoD developed, operationally representative, test Jamming waveform.

- Conduct an evaluation of the jamming waveform against free-flight missiles:

- Facilitate the fielding and assessment of other jamming waveforms when deployed in the UK DIRCM hardware.


Leonardo First Impression Report Summary

• While details of the performance demonstrated are above the classification of this paper, a number of conclusions can be shared:

- The complete UK DIRCM System performed at the trial “as expected” by the UK DSTL and the supporting industry team members;

- Both the MWS threat declaration times and the Miysis DIRCM slew, settle, track & jam were very quick (well within specification limits);

o These combined to give an extremely rapid Time to EoT;

- The Miysis DIRCM System successfully tracked (dry shots) and jammed (wet shots) every threat declared by the MWS;

- Effective short-range shot capability was demonstrated;

- Effective long-range shot capability was demonstrated, including Post-Burn Out (PBO) tracking at maximum likely range;

- Twin-shot defeat capability with a single head was demonstrated.


Recent Announcement and DSEI 2019


Conclusions• Leonardo has undertaken a progressive, phased development of Miysis DIRCM System

over the last ten years:

- Capitalised heavily on key IR sensor, laser and sightline control technologies made available from internal company advanced technology investment;

- Leveraged our extensive domain knowledge in design, manufacture and in-service support of advanced airborne electro-optical systems, including DIRCM;

- Utilised the latest open-architecture system concepts and MOTS/COTS hardware.

• This open-architecture design readily supports integration of the equipment onto aircraft platforms, either as a stand-alone DIRCM solution or as part of a Defensive Aids Suite.

• All of the development work was underpinned by extensive test and evaluation at every stage, including laboratory, SIL, live-fire, ground and flight testing;

• This approach, coupled with a phased development programme, has produced a mature, highly reliable, elegant and low risk system capable of protecting the full range of platforms against the most sophisticated of fielded MANPAD threats;

• Miysis is now fully operational and in volume production for several customer’s for installation on a range of platforms, including fixed wing turbo-prop, jet transport and helicopter.

• Recent field trials have further underpinned the exceptional performance of the Miysis DIRCM System.

THANK YOUFOR YOUR ATTENTIONleonardocompany.com

© 2019 Leonardo MW Ltd – All rights reserved42

leonardocompany.com

Contact details

Stuart Chapman

Technical FellowCapability Manager, EO/IRCM

Leonardo MW Ltd,2 Crewe Road North,Edinburgh, EH14 1XG, UK

Tel: +44 (0)7801 [email protected]

miysis dircm: the smallest, lightest multi-head dircm...

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