Elizabeth Leigh
Northrop Grumman will soon roll out its latest laser technology under its Viper portfolio that has been specifically developed for directed infrared countermeasure systems.
The company said Wednesday that its laser systems group spent five years to update to Viper 2.1 and is now getting ready for full-scale production from its Apopka and Rolling Meadows facilities in Illinois.
Viper aircraft protection lasers are currently in use on more than 50 types of military aircraft.
Northrop said the latest iteration can provide direct or fiber-coupled laser power for various DIRCM and I-ASE platforms, and offers gains in power, efficiency, parts count, optical path alignment, reliability, weight and manufacturability.
“The value of performance of our DIRCM systems stem from our intentional design approach toward a modular open systems architecture,” said Jeffrey Q. Palombo, vice president and general manager of land and self-protection systems division at Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.
“Viper 2.1 can be used in forward-fit or back-fit applications.”
