lunes, 19 de agosto de 2013

Robins workers help protect aircraft from danger


Thousands at Robins work to keep the Air Force’s cargo aircraft maintained, while one small unit works to make sure the vulnerable, slow-moving planes don’t get shot out of the sky.


In the 566th Electronics Maintenance Squadron a group of 15 technicians, including Northrop Grumman employees, work on the Large Aircraft Infrared Counter-Measure system, more commonly known as LAIRCM.

First deployed in 1996 on a small number of aircraft, the system has been effective in protecting planes from the threat of shoulder-fired missiles in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Jeff Lamb, the avionics and instruments supervisor in the squadron. Although there are more parts, the heart of the system is a processor that detects missiles and a laser turret under the plane that shoots out beams when there is a threat.

The laser confuses the missile and directs it away from the aircraft. Previously planes used a system that sent out a spray of flares around the plane to direct the heat-seeking missiles away. It’s also a fully automated system, so pilots don’t need to activate it. Previously it didn’t even alert pilots of a missile threat, but pilots didn’t like the idea of not knowing when a missile was coming at them, so an alert warning was added.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2013/08/18/2615554/robins-workers-help-protect-aircraft.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2013/08/18/2615554/robins-workers-help-protect-aircraft.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2013/08/18/2615554/robins-workers-help-protect-aircraft.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2013/08/18/2615554/robins-workers-help-protect-aircraft.html#storylink=cpy

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