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In a C-5 upgrade program not directly tied to the Avionics Modernization Program or the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program, installation of Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure, or LAIRCM, kits began earlier this year at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia. LAIRCM is designed to protect large, fixed-wing transports from infrared missile attack. The Lot 1 contract calls for eight aircraft to receive the laser-based infrared countermeasures system designated AN/AAQ-24 (v) 16. The system automatically detects a missile launch, determines if the missile is a threat, and activates a high-intensity countermeasure system to track and defeat the threat. The Air Force anticipates that all forty-nine C-5B aircraft and much of the C-5A fleet will eventually receive LAIRCM.
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