EADS, ULM, Germany: EADS Defence Electronics has successfully conducted first test flights with its missile warning system MILDS on a Royal Danish Airforce F-16 at RDAF airfield Aalborg. MILDS is an advanced, sensor system which detects and tracks the UV emissions of approaching missiles including the most prevalent threat of heat seeking shoulder launched missiles.
As reported by EADS on Friday, the purpose of the flight test campaign was to collect valuable reference data of the MILDS operating in the combat aircraft environment for its software adaptation. Furthermore, the aim was to qualify TERMA's testbed-pod, which is housing the MILDS system for the trials. The missions (4 flights with more than 6 flight hours in total) included several supersonic parts as well as high altitude flights and both the pod and the MILDS system proved to withstand the environment. Sensor data were successfully recorded in various scenarios including afterburner operation, missile firings and flares ejection both from own-ship and wingman aircraft.
The MILDS system presently undergoes an adaptation to meet specific requirements in a fighter environment. Operation of a missile warner on a combat jet superimposes specific stress to the equipment (temperature, vibration, g-load, shock etc.), typical speeds flown are much higher and space available for physical airframe integration is much less than on helicopters or wide body aircraft. The flight test results proved that the established adaptation path is on the right track. They also provided the engineers from EADS and DDRE (Danish Defence Research Establishment) with sufficient data to finalize specifications and to set up test criteria for the initial flight trials planned for mid 2006.
The Air Material Command of RDAF contracted EADS Defence Electronics in July 2004 to deliver the latest version of the AN/AAR-60 Missile Launch Detection System, the AN/AAR-60 (V)2, dubbed MILDS-F, for their F-16. To the benefit of the program, RDAF and DDRE are actively supporting the adaptation of the EADS missile warning system and its integration into TERMA's wing weapon pylons PIDS+/ECIPS+ in terms of providing the testbed aircraft and testpilot as well as aircraft related know how from the very beginning of the program.
MILDS-F is using the proven key components of the very successful MILDS missile warner, which is operated as the standard missile warning device on helicopters and transport/mission aircraft world wide.
For the Danish programme, the EADS DE self-protection system will be integrated into TERMA A/S
