Northrop Grumman's Directional Infrared Countermeasures System Exceeds One Million Operational Hours

PARIS, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) today announced that its directional infrared countermeasures system (DIRCM), currently deployed with U.S. and allied forces, has achieved more than one million operational hours in service.  

"DIRCM continues to be the standard for military aircraft protection, a system that is most called upon to assure mission success and the safe return of our troops, as indicated by the one million operational hours milestone," said Jeff Palombo, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division. "Northrop Grumman is not sitting back. We continue to invest in next-generation technology to keep us and our industry partners at the forefront of this capability.

"Of the more than one million hours accumulated to date, the majority have been logged under deployed and combat conditions, with an operational availability of over 99 percent for the past 13 consecutive years - performance unequaled in industry," Palombo added.

The combat-proven system functions automatically by detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasures system to track and defeat the missile.

Northrop Grumman's IRCM systems are 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. 

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com for more information.