Open Architecture Allows for Widest Range of Mission Equipment

Terma’s proven Modular Aircraft Survivability Equipment (MASE) pod for light attack aircraft and helicopters was revealed at Farnborough in a new, upgraded and cost-effective version to meet the needs of international operators and OEMs today and tomorrow.

Retrofitting self-protection systems to aircraft already delivered and in service invariably means that external pods rapidly become a favoured solution, with the following benefits:

• No cutting of holes in the fuselage for sensors, etc.;
• Flexibility of mounting and removing the EW equipment as a single unit;
• Pods are mounted with stand-off from the main body of the fuselage, minimising sensor blind spots and facilitating safe separation of expendables;
• A more consistently accurate interface for sensor orientation.

The MASE pod can be configured to house the complete sensor and countermeasures suite for a wide range of platform/equipment mixes: as a consequence of the modular design, it can also be configured to meet specific operational needs e.g. a Directed IR Countermeasures (DIRCM) turret, chaff/flare dispensers (CMDS), electronics and missile warning system (MWS) sensors in a small, lightweight, and rigid structure.

Normally the MASE pod mounts to hard-points, installing a lightweight bespoke adapter without ejector-release unit for accurate alignment, with reasonable stand-off in order obtain good sensor and effector fields of coverage. The open architecture is fully adaptable to any DIRCM, LWS or MWS, as well as Terma or third-party CMDS, which offers flexible options for stand-alone installations or as part of an aircraft survivability equipment system.

Terma has delivered over 2,500 combat-proven EW solutions for more than 25 aircraft types ranging from the F-18 to the P-8A POSEIDON and from the AH-64 APACHE to the CH-47 CHINOOK.