Indra to equip latest electronic warfare systems onto Spanish Army's Chinooks

Indra is to update the Spanish Army's Boeing Chinook CH-47F electronic warfare systems. (Indra)

Indra has signed a EUR35 million (USD39.8 million) contract with the Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) to integrate its latest electronic warfare (EW) systems onto the Spanish Army's Boeing CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters, the company announced on 18 January.

According to Indra, the helicopters will be integrated with the company's ALR-400FD radar alerter, InWarner sensor, and InShield directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system.

The ALR-400 is designed for fixed- and rotary-wing platforms and consists of multiple antenna assemblies and radar receivers together with an EW processor. Indra claims that the ALR-400 can detect and identify enemy platforms by simultaneously detecting pulsed and continuous wave radars. Alternatively, previous versions covered different bands through partial band scanning strategies.

The new InWarner sensor will also be integrated onto the aircraft. Equipped with a missile and laser alerter, it is designed to detect whether a platform has acquired the helicopter as a target. Indra states that the integration of both the sensor and the radar, “makes it possible to achieve full situational awareness and increases effectiveness in activating countermeasures to neutralise the attack”.

The company also intends to equip the Chinooks with its InShield DIRCM: a laser-based system intended to protect fixed-wing or rotary-wing platforms from infrared-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. An onboard missile warning sensor (likely to be the InWarner system) will trigger InShield, which will then engage and neutralise incoming projectile(s) by directing its high-power laser beam onto the thermal guidance system.