LONDON, Sept. 19 (UPI) — Britain’s Ministry of Defense has ordered miniature anti-missile jammers from Leonardo-Finmeccanica aircraft for its Typhoon fighter fleet.
The BriteCloud system will undergo flight trials on Royal Air Force Tornado aircraft later this year as the RAF develops a concept of operations for the technology before its deployment.
BriteCloud, similar in size and appearance to a beverage can, can be fired from an aircraft’s flare dispenser. It then uses radar emissions to disrupt systems within radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.
“The cutting-edge technology behind BriteCloud demonstrates the MOD’s commitment to harnessing and growing the incredible creativity in our Defense supply chain,” said Defense Secretary Michael Fallon.
“Supported by our £178 billion [$231.3 billion] investment in equipment, these new decoy systems show that we are continually pushing the boundaries of innovation, making the most of Great British skills and brains to keep our Armed Forces safe from our adversaries.”
The Ministry of Defense said it has been working with Leonardo-Finmeccanica to develop the BriteCloud system since 2012. Nearly $34.5 million has been invested in the system by the government.
The new contract order for the system is worth about $32.5 million.
