PIDS pod provides protection
Terma told MONS that deliveries of new Pylon Integrated Dispensing System Plus (PIDS+) equipment will commence to the Belgian Air Component by the middle of 2018, and will be completed by the end of the year.
The PIDS+ will equip that country’s General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16AM Fighting FALCON aircraft. According to the firm, the PIDS+ system is a pylon-based electronic warfare ensemble which has a flexible architecture enabling it to accommodate several aircraft self-protection systems including either Terma’s ACMDS or BAE Systems’ AN/ALE-47 chaff and flare launcher, a missile warning system such as the Hensoldt AN/AAR-60 and a radio frequency jammer such as the Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-162. The PIDS+ connects to the aircraft’s avionics via a MIL-STD-1760 interface and is controlled form the cockpit using Terma’s AN/ALQ-213 electronic warfare management system, or equivalent apparatus.
The written statement from Terma added that the PIDS+ has been operational with the Norwegian and Danish Air Forces since 2013, and has flown combat missions with the latter during sorties in support of US-led operations in the Middle East. Like Belgium, the PIDS+ is used on these two air force’s F-16 series aircraft. The company continued that, “one of the major benefits for our solution is that there are no limitations on aircraft performance, no limitations in terms of flight envelope and only improvements in self-protection, chiefly in being able to detect and decoy attacking missiles.”
Thomas Withington