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Ukrainian Firm has Successfully Brought its IR Countermeasure System through Official Testing and Validation Program

NVF Adron, LLC, Kyiv, has created an effective solution to protect military transport aircraft from IR guided missile threats
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An-26 military transport aircraft in Ukraine army service
An-26 military transport aircraft in Ukraine army service

Tailored specifically for use on An-26 turboprop airlifters, the Adron-developed IR countermeasure system has been designed with the potential to be configured for use also on An-32 and An-178 airplanes

The system in early May had successfully completed official qualification trials process conducted at Shyroky Lan Proving Ground outside Mykolayiv, Adron told Defense Express.

Military transport aircraft An-26

“The [IR countermeasure] challenge has long been on the table. In the period from 2014 to 15, for example, Ukrainian forces lost An-26 and An-30 aircraft that had been downed by heat-seeking missiles launched from insurgent-occupied areas,” Adron has said.

Read more: Antonov Rolls out Fuselage for First of An-178-100P Transports Contracted for Delivery to Ukraine’s Air Force

The IR countermeasure system is comprised of the dual-caliber flare dispenser system Adros KUV 26-50 and the IR jammer Adros KT-03U.

In a configuration specific to the An-26 airlifter, there are four holders, each pre-loaded with 40 x IR flare countermeasures of 50 mm caliber and 80 x of 26 mm caliber.

IR decoy flare holders installed in a military transport aircraft

The KT-03U is a next-gen evolution to Adron’s KT-01AV IR jammer, offering a stronger jamming signal and an innovative signal modulation technique.

Working collaboratively, the IR decoy dispenser system KUV-26-50 and the IR jammer KT-03U are able to effectively protect An-26 military airlifter against IR guided missile attacks, which has been validated by the official qualification trials.

Fuselage for the first of three transport aircraft An-178-100R ordered for delivery to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, seen during a roll-out ceremony held May 20, 2021 / Photo Credit: Ukroboronprom
Read more: Ukrainian Government Pays Initial Upfront under An-178 Aircraft Contract for Armed Forces