. Military Space News .
Raytheon To Demonstrate Aircraft Protection System Under DHS Contract

Vigilant Eagle is an affordable, ground based airport protection system that uses high power microwave technology to protect commercial aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles. Vigilant Eagle creates a dome of protection around an airport that protects all aircraft. Missiles are identified and tracked, and a High-power Amplifier-Transmitter (HAT) radiates a beam of directed electromagnetic energy to disrupt the missile and divert it away from the target aircraft. Credit: Raytheon.
by Staff Writers
Tucson AZ (SPX) Oct 24, 2006
Raytheon has been awarded a $4.1 million contract, with a priced option for an additional $1.2 million, by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to demonstrate the suitability of its Vigilant Eagle Airport Protection System to function in a civilian environment and its ability to protect aircraft from the threat of shoulder-fired missiles.

Vigilant Eagle provides an invisible dome of protection around airports or airfields, offering all aircraft -- international and domestic commercial flights as well as military and private planes -- protection from terrorist surface-to-air missiles including MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense System).

Vigilant Eagle aims a focused, precisely steered beam of electromagnetic energy at a terrorist's missile, diverting the threat away from the targeted aircraft. Because Vigilant Eagle is ground-based rather than installed on individual aircraft, it can protect all aircraft inside an airport area.

Vigilant Eagle consists of three interconnected primary components: a distributed missile detect and track system, a command and control system and the active electronically scanned array, which is a billboard-size array of highly efficient antennas linked to solid state amplifiers that provide the beam that diverts the missile.

"Raytheon's Vigilant Eagle defeats man-portable missiles in seconds without any alteration to or involvement by the aircraft using the airport," said Mike Booen, vice president of Directed Energy Weapons at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz. "Not only has our Vigilant Eagle system been proved effective, but it protects all aircraft using an airport and can be rapidly deployed at a reasonable cost."

Ground-based Vigilant Eagle provides anti-MANPADS protection for a fraction of the cost of airborne systems being developed. Vigilant Eagle also has a far lower false alarm rate than other systems and uses proven, mature technologies.

Raytheon plans to conduct validation activities and implement a unique interoperability test bed at a site determined by DHS to provide data for DHS's assessment of Vigilant Eagle's capability to defeat MANPADS. The test bed is an initial step to implementing counter-MANPADS to protect flights at airports.

Raytheon's airport security solutions also include a contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to provide a Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) to safeguard the region's four airports: John F.

Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, and Teterboro. The Raytheon-led team will design, develop and deploy the security system; provide complete infrastructure development; integrate existing and future access control and intrusion detection systems; and provide training and maintenance. PIDS is the first large scale, fully integrated design and build project at any major domestic airport.

Related Links
Raytheon
News and analysis about the Global War Against Terror at SpaceWar.com

Proper Use Of Intelligence Empowers Soldiers
Washington DC (AFNS) Oct 19, 2006
Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace, deputy chief of staff, G-3, addressed the use of intelligence in the "Actionable intelligence for the command and Soldier" forum at this week's Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting. The general singled out eight individuals out of more than 200 attending the session. He designated them a squad, and said their mission was to find one bad guy in the room.







  • China The Unexpected Star In US Drive For Tough North Korea Sanctions
  • China Puts Squeeze On North Korea In Nuclear Crisis
  • US Will Use Full Range Of Military Might In Defense Of Japan Against North Korea
  • German G8: Dialogue With New Economic Players And Rewards For Africa

  • The Slippery Slope Of North Korean Nuclear Politics
  • Iran Tested New Centrifuge Cascade Despite Sanctions Threat
  • Mixed Signals Over North Korean Desire To Return To Nuke Talks
  • North Korean Vessel Believed Carrying Contraband

  • Breakthrough Could Lead To New Warhead Technologies
  • Command Destruct/Self Destruct Capability Tested In Surface-Launched AMRAAM
  • Raytheon Awarded US Army Contract For Wireless Precision Assault Missiles
  • Ukraine Seeks Missile Alliance With Israel

  • Russian Options For Ballistic Missile Defense - Part Two
  • Russian Anger On Ballistic Missile Defense
  • BMD Rumblings from Russia
  • Japan, US Step Up Work On Missile Shield

  • China Marks 50th Anniversary Of Aerospace Industry
  • German-Chinese Aviation Opens New Horizons For Cooperation
  • GAO Report On Progress Of Implementing Aerospace Recommendations
  • US Air-Transportation System Must Become More Agile

  • Northrop Grumman Enters Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Competition
  • Video Imagery Delivered To Military Forces In Urban Combat
  • AAI Corp Receives Unmanned Systems Contracts
  • US Air Force To Study A Pilotless U-2

  • Disputed Iraqi Bodycount
  • Iraq War Will Soon Outlast US Involvement In World War Two
  • Insurgents Target The Will Of The US
  • Myth Of Shiite Revival

  • Page One Science Releases The NO-PLODE IED Countermeasure
  • Northrop Grumman and University of Central Florida Partner for Military Physiological Study
  • Airdrop System Protects Airmen, Soldiers
  • Engineers Shed Light On Crash Of Last Of Flying Aircraft Carriers

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement