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electronic warfare system
The Rafale is equipped with a highly automated electronic warfare system, which provides an excellent level of protection against known and future threats, as demonstrated in Libya.SPECTRA (Self-Protection Equipment Countering Threats of Rafale Aircraft - self-protection equipment from Rafale aircraft threats) is a set of fully integrated electronic warfare, designed and produced by Thales in cooperation with MBDA. The system is completely mounted internally in an effort to keep free the weapon stations. Ensures efficient electromagnetic detection, laser illumination warning, missile approach warning with passive IR detection technology, electronic interference and use of electromagnetic devices deception (shaff) and infrared (flare), even in multi-threat environment more demanding.
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Thanks to its digital technology, SPECTRA provides passive detection of long-range identification and tracking of threats, and allows the pilot or the system operator to react immediately with the best countermeasures: electronic interference, use of chaff and flare, evasive maneuvers and / or any combination of these actions to avoid or counteract successfully to a variety of threats air and land. SPECTRA is divided into different modules and sensors strategically positioned in the aircraft to provide complete coverage.lethality zones, determined by calculating the SPECTRA according to the types of detected air defense weapons and the local terrain, can then be displayed on the color screen tactics, allowing the crew to avoid flight in hazardous areas.
Even a very dense electronic signal environment, the precision of azimuth location of the threat is excellent, and the time required for signal identification is extremely short. Moreover, the high processing capacity allows detection and interference remarkable performance, optimizing in accordance with the identified threat response: received electromagnetic signals are analyzed, the direction and the location of the transmitters are determined with great precision. The exact location and the types of systems detected by SPECTRA can be recorded for later analysis, providing Rafale operators a substantial capacity SIGINT / ELINT already integrated, minimizing the need for dedicated intelligence platforms, specialized and expensive. The use of SPECTRA is also very flexible, and its software can be reprogrammed on the flight line.
To counter the new generation of portable ground-to-air missile, a laser light warning system is mounted on the sides of the nose and hunting tail, providing 360-degree coverage and ensuring detection and warning approach launched missiles " shoulder "guided laser beam. There are four modules incorporated into the fuselage (in upward direction) to launch various types of cartridges decoys (flares or electrooptic), and the Rafale is equipped with two internal chaff launchers.
Refinements are continually being introduced to improve the SPECTRA system and a Missile Warning System Next Generation (DDM NG - detecteur From Missile Nouvelle Génération) is being built. Thanks to the use of the latest technology of infrared imaging, the new system offers greater field of view and better detection range and lower false alarm rate compared to other technologies and with the system that currently flies the Rafale (DDM). With DDM NG, the exhaust wake of a missile can be detected at a very long distance without revealing issue that betray the presence of the Rafale.
The discreet missile approach warning ensures high probability of detection and low false alarm rates, even against the latest weapons guided by totally passive IR; and, when the launch of a missile is detected, the DDM NG can automatically trigger a sequence decoys to avoid the threat. By the time this article was written, the operational evaluation of DDM NG had already started in Mont-de-Marsan, and the entry into operation was scheduled for the end of 2013. Thales engineers are working on new enhancements SPECTRA and various upgrades will be available soon for the domestic and export markets.
