The British Royal Air Force (RAF) will be the first Air Force to use the new anti-missile system BriteCloud by Leonardo-Finmeccanica. Thanks to the purchase by the UK Ministry of Defense of a significant number of devices for several million euros, the RAF will evaluate the protection capabilities of the BriteCloud with its fleet of aircraft Tornado and will develop an instruction manual, the so-called CONOPS (CONcept of OPerationS). This is a guide for the crews who will use the BriteCloud, a passage that normally represents the last phase before the adoption of the technology in operational missions.
Il BriteCloud will be delivered by a team of Luton site experts. The system, the same size as a 55mm flare, provides the aircraft with electronic protection against radar-guided air-to-air and ground-to-air missiles. It is currently the only system of its kind in the world to have been sold and proven to be effective in operational testing. Based on miniaturized noise technology, the BriteCloud it is launched from a standard 55mm cartridge and does not require further interventions to integrate it on the platform.
In October last year the RAF carried out a series of tests in the United States in which the BriteCloud showed its validity against modern radio frequency threats. The next step, which precedes the adoption of the system in operational contexts, is the development of a "CONOPS" instruction manual. This will allow to precisely define the behavior of the device in realistic scenarios and develop methodologies to use it in combat. As part of this process, further tests will be performed on English Tornados to further verify the countermeasure.
Defense Secretary Michael Fallon commented: "The advanced technology on which BriteCloud is based demonstrates the confidence of the Ministry of Defense in the extraordinary creativity of our suppliers. With an investment of £ 178 billion in equipment, these new products also demonstrate our commitment to ever-increasing innovation, the fruit of our country's best skills and talents, capable of effectively protecting the UK Armed Forces from adversaries.".
Il BriteCloud EAD (Expendable Active Decoy) was created by Leonardo in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defense, in particular with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and the Defense Equipment and Support organization (DES).
BriteCloud it was launched in November 2013 and is now in production after the positive results of tests carried out on aircraft Tornado e Gripen NG. Leonardo collaborates with the Swedish company Saab to offer the device as an option to enhance the protective equipment of all variants of the Gripen, including the new model E.
Il BriteCloud it is ejected from a standard 55mm cartridge and can be replaced with a flare of the same size without further integration on the platform. Leonardo is working, together with other manufacturers, to adapt existing systems to the use of 55mm cartridges.
