US, Netherlands, Spain, UK and UAE Procuring AAR-57 CMWS

BAE Systems has received contracts to deliver $71 million (€64 million) in aircraft survivability equipment to several US allies via the Foreign Military Sales programme, the company announced on 18 November. Under the contracts, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to purchase the AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) and associated equipment to protect their aircraft and crews from sophisticated threats.

For more than 15 years, CMWS has delivered unmatched, combat-proven aircraft survivability to US and allied forces by providing superior threat detection and enhanced situational awareness. The system is designed to detect a wide range of infrared-guided missiles and other threats, providing warnings to pilots and cueing laser-based and expendable countermeasures. The system’s rapid response capabilities improve survivability and reduce the cognitive load on pilots – enabling them to focus on their missions.

“Our customers that fly low and slow in dangerous situations face unobserved threats that can strike without warning in seconds,” said Cheryl Paradis, Director of Optical Electronic Warfare Systems at BAE Systems. “We level the playing field for pilots and crews with proven threat detection and countermeasures that quickly and automatically engage and defeat threats and help warfighters return home safely.”

CMWS is designed to be cost-effective, easy to install and extremely reliable. The versatile system is designed for a wide variety of aircraft and its line-replaceable units and customisable algorithms allow it to adapt to emerging threats. The third-generation system combines hostile fire indication and data recording with its core missile warning capabilities in a single unit – providing protection from more diverse threats and enabling detailed post-mission analysis.