Distributed infrared countermeasure installation for fixed wing aircraft
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for airliner defense comprising:
- A distributed aircraft defense system having modules spaced from one another and located within the aircraft, each of the modules being accessible for maintenance, whereby maintenance may be performed on the aircraft defense system at remote locations, with standard aircraft maintenance personnel and in timeframes commensurate with commercial airline operations.
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Abstract
A distributed aircraft defense system involving infrared countermeasures is installed in a distributive fashion for commercial aircraft, typically fixed wing aircraft, in which maintenance downtime is minimized due to the ability to access, remove, test, fix and/or replace individual modules within the distributed system.
36 Citations
23 Claims
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1. Apparatus for airliner defense comprising:
A distributed aircraft defense system having modules spaced from one another and located within the aircraft, each of the modules being accessible for maintenance, whereby maintenance may be performed on the aircraft defense system at remote locations, with standard aircraft maintenance personnel and in timeframes commensurate with commercial airline operations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for defending an airliner against attack by a missile to minimize maintenance downtime comprising:
installing a distributed infrared countermeasure system within the aircraft with the system including a number of modules spaced about the aircraft and accessible by an individual for the maintenance, testing, repair and/or replacement thereof by a single individual without the use of specialized handling equipment. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for defending an aircraft against incoming missiles fired from the ground which is easily maintainable in the field using standard aircraft maintenance personnel, avoiding the use of a pod carried on the belly of the aircraft in which all of the countermeasure equipment is carried in the pod and in which the pod must be removed for maintenance procedures, comprising:
a number of modules distributed throughout the aircraft and spaced from one another, with the modules having input and output tolerances that are designed for broad interoperability and interconnected without alignment or specialized interfaces, the modules being distributed throughout the aircraft and being individually maintainable by either access to or removal of the individual modules, the weight of the modules being maintained below that which can be handled by an individual without specialized handling equipment. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
Specification