ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Nov. 8 -- Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Sensors and Systems sector has completed live-fire tests of an advanced laser-based directional infrared countermeasures system, the Wanda/Viper/Multi-Imaging Multi-Spectral (MIMS) configuration. The company announced that results of the tests -- performed between Sept. 30 and Oct. 22, 1999, at the US Army's Missile Range in White Sands, N.M. -- confirm the system met and exceeded expectations.
During the tests, the Wanda/Viper/MIMS system was mounted on a cable car equipped with heat sources representing a military aircraft signature that served as a target for surface-to-air and air-to-air IR guided missiles. The tests were part of a US Navy-sponsored program developed to demonstrate the feasibility of using IR countermeasures to protect tactical aircraft.