BAE Systems delivering advanced missile warning systems to U.S. allies

BAE Systems received $114 million in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contracts from the U.S. Army for AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS).

CMWS is a combat-proven aircraft survivability system for rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft that integrates missile warning, hostile fire indication, and countermeasure controls. CMWS provides the U.S. and its allies with advanced threat detection and countermeasure control capabilities that protect aircraft and air crews who operate in hostile battlefield conditions.

"Battlefields are increasingly contested, and airborne armed forces around the world must be able to detect and defeat modern infrared threats," says Jennifer Bartley, deputy product line director of Integrated Survivability Solutions at BAE Systems. "When stealth is not an option, CMWS provides a shield that enables aircraft survivability and mission execution."

CMWS systems have been installed on different platform types worldwide. It’s the standard missile warning and hostile fire detection system for U.S. Army aircraft and has millions of combat flight hours and a proven ability to protect aircraft and save lives in evolving threat environments.

With the new FMS contracts, additional U.S. allies now procure CMWS for its proven survivability capabilities. The allies will use these systems to protect existing fleets and newly acquired aircraft, including AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook, and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

CMWS is compatible with expendable countermeasure dispensers—including BAE Systems' AN/ALE-47 Airborne Countermeasures Dispenser System and Smart D2 next-generation countermeasure system—as well as laser-based directable infrared countermeasure systems.

BAE Systems' CMWS is part of the company's Intrepid Shield layered approach to aircraft and ground platform survivability that uses the full electromagnetic spectrum to detect, exploit, and counter advanced threats.

CMWS is designed and manufactured at BAE Systems' facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire; Austin, Texas; and Huntsville, Alabama.