Leonardo has started deliveries of the 'BriteCloud' countermeasure to the UK Royal Air Force for the operational use of the new technology, following the formal green light by the British Ministry of Defense. The countermeasure, among the most compact available on the market, will protect aircraft from modern radar-guided missiles and will be ready in the short term to use by the crews of the Tornado GR4. The RAF will be the first air force in the world to field this new protection technology.
The acceptance of the system follows a series of flight campaigns carried out by the RAF in the United States in June 2017, when dozens of BriteCloud devices were launched by the Tornado GR4 aircraft of the 41ma Squadron "Test and Evaluation" against high performance radar guide systems . The tests produced positive results that were subsequently subjected to an in-depth analysis by the Ministry of Defense at the UK Air Warfare Center and the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
Leonardo has worked since 2012 with the UK Ministry of Defense to develop a next generation electronic countermeasure, based on a project commissioned by the DSTL and jointly managed by the company and the Defense Equipment and Support - DE&S of the UK Ministry of Defense. Leonardo supported the development by directly investing significant resources to develop and build BriteCloud in its electronic warfare center based in Luton. At the end of 2017, the Ministry of Defense authorized the operational use of the technology. The first systems will be delivered to the RAF in April. The speed with which BriteCloud has moved from design to operational service is the result of Leonardo's close collaboration with the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office, set up to ensure the faster insertion of new technologies. The development of the BriteCloud is consistent with Leonardo's 2018-2022 business plan, which provides for targeted investments in key technologies to support corporate growth.
The BriteCloud incorporates a sophisticated electronic radar disturbance system in a container a few centimeters long. The apparatus can be used by a standard "chaff and flare" dispenser and released in case of engagement by a modern radar-guided missile. At launch, the BriteCloud turns on and the automatic jammer produces a 'phantom' signal that inhibits enemy radar. The system is simple to use and effective from the point of view of protecting the aircraft where it is installed, even in situations where the traditional "chaff and flare" countermeasures would be ineffective. The technology is generically called 'Active Expendable Decoy' (EAD): 'active' because of the electronic jammer and 'expendable' as the device is launched by the fighter jet in order to create a large 'miss distance' for a missile arriving.
