Beyond the Board: What Companies Need to Know Before Entering the MilAero PCB Market
Defense Speak Interpreted: If CHIPS Cuts Back, What Happens to Electronics Packaging Funds?
American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?
BAE Systems to Develop Advanced Decoy Countermeasures to Protect Aircraft from Future Threats
October 29, 2019 | BAE SystemsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
BAE Systems announced a $36.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy to develop and demonstrate a next-generation, dual band Fiber-Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) to protect aircraft and pilots from advanced threats.
BAE Systems' FOTDs are radio-frequency countermeasure systems that provide robust self-protection capabilities for any aircraft, including fighters, bombers, and transports. The company's Dual Band Decoy development work is intended to expand the capabilities of its combat-proven AN/ALE-55 FOTD.
"Our towed decoys enable pilots to execute missions in highly contested airspace," said Tom McCarthy, Dual Band Decoy Program Director at BAE Systems. "ALE-55 FOTD is a reliable, high-powered jamming system with years of mission success on the F/A-18E/F and extensive flight-testing on a variety of aircraft. Under this new Dual Band Decoy contract, our focus will be building upon the ALE-55's proven performance in order to defeat the threats of tomorrow."
The primary role of the decoy is to protect the warfighter by luring threat missiles away from the aircraft. The decoy also combines techniques that disrupt adversaries' radar, preventing missile launch from occurring. Much like the ALE-55 FOTD, the Dual Band Decoy will interface with onboard electronic warfare (EW) equipment, but it can also operate independently, enhancing its effectiveness against current and future threats.
BAE Systems recently celebrated the production of its 3,000th ALE-55 FOTD unit – a milestone that builds on the company's leadership and technical strength in EW. The Dual Band Decoy engineering work will be performed at the company's facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire and will leverage the company's existing technologies and expertise.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
India’s Aerospace and Defence Engineered for Power, Driven by Electronics
09/16/2025 | Gaurab Majumdar, Global Electronics AssociationWith a defence budget of $82.05 billion (2025–26) and a massive $223 billion earmarked for aerospace and defence spending over the next decade, India is rapidly positioning itself as a major player in the global defence and aerospace market.
VIDEOTON EAS's Bulgarian Subsidiary Expands Into Automotive Products
09/15/2025 | VideotonVEAS Bulgaria, engaged in electronics manufacturing, has joined the ranks of VIDEOTON companies authorized to produce automotive products.
Variosystems Strengthens North American Presence with Southlake Relaunch 2025
09/15/2025 | VariosystemsVariosystems celebrated the relaunch of its U.S. facility in Southlake, Texas. After months of redesign and reorganization, the opening marked more than just the return to a modernized production site—it was a moment to reconnect with our teams, partners, and the local community.
Hanwha Aerospace to Collaborate with BAE Systems on Advanced Anti-jamming GPS for Guided Missiles
09/15/2025 | HanwhaHanwha Aerospace has signed a contract with BAE Systems to integrate next-generation, anti-jamming Global Positioning System (GPS) technology into Hanwha Aerospace’s Deep Strike Capability precision-guided weapon system.
EV Group Achieves Breakthrough in Hybrid Bonding Overlay Control for Chiplet Integration
09/12/2025 | EV GroupEV Group (EVG), a leading provider of innovative process solutions and expertise serving leading-edge and future semiconductor designs and chip integration schemes, today unveiled the EVG®40 D2W—the first dedicated die-to-wafer overlay metrology platform to deliver 100 percent die overlay measurement on 300-mm wafers at high precision and speeds needed for production environments. With up to 15X higher throughput than EVG’s industry benchmark EVG®40 NT2 system designed for hybrid wafer bonding metrology, the new EVG40 D2W enables chipmakers to verify die placement accuracy and take rapid corrective action, improving process control and yield in high-volume manufacturing (HVM).