Northrop Grumman delivers 1000th Guardian laser-transmitter assembly
Rolling Meadows, IL--Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has delivered its 1,000th Guardian laser-transmitter assembly (GLTA) to the U.S. government for use as part of the Department of Navy's Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (DoN LAIRCM) system. DoN LAIRCM is currently installed on U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E helicopters operating in Afghanistan and on ship-based CH-46E helicopters.
Northrop Grumman has averaged between 35 and 45 production GLTAs each month since delivering the 500th unit to the U.S. government just over a year ago, allowing the 1,000th GLTA to be delivered four months ahead of schedule.
"Your IRCM system continues to provide a high priority protection for our troops on the front line and ensures they return safely," said Dan Johnson, integrated product team lead for the Department of the Navy's DIRCM Systems.
"In addition to the 1,000 GLTAs, Northrop Grumman has produced over 930 small laser-transmitter assemblies for a total of nearly 2,000 production laser-based IRCM transmitters," said Carl Smith, vice president of infrared countermeasure (IRCM) programs at Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division.
Each GLTA is comprised of a Viper laser assembly and a pointer-tracker assembly. The Viper laser is produced at Northrop Grumman facilities in Apopka, FL and Rolling Meadows, while the pointer -racker assembly is produced by the Northrop Grumman facility in Rolling Meadows and a Selex Galileo facility in the U.K.
Northrop Grumman's IRCM system is now installed or scheduled for installation on several hundred military aircraft across the Department of Defense to protect approximately 50 different types of large fixed-wing transports and rotary-wing platforms from infrared missile attacks. The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat, and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.
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John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.