BAE Systems secures FMS contract to supply Common Missile Warning Systems to US allies

BAE Systems has received USD 114 million (EUR 106 million) in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contracts from the US Army for AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS), the company announced on 6 February 2024.

CMWS is a combat-proven aircraft survivability system for rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft that integrates missile warning, hostile fire indication, and countermeasure controls. CMWS provides the US military and its allies with advanced threat detection and countermeasure control capabilities that protect aircraft and air crews operating in hostile battlefield conditions.

CMWS has been installed on various platforms worldwide. It is the standard missile warning and hostile fire detection system for US Army aircraft and has millions of combat flight hours and a proven ability to protect aircraft and save lives in evolving threat environments.

With the new FMS contracts, additional US allies are now procuring CMWS for its proven survivability capabilities. The allies will use these systems to protect existing fleets and newly acquired aircraft, including AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook, and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

CMWS is compatible with expendable countermeasure dispensers – including BAE Systems’ AN/ALE-47 Airborne Countermeasures Dispenser System and Smart D² next-generation countermeasure system – as well as laser-based directable infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) systems.

“Battlefields are increasingly contested, and airborne armed forces around the world must be able to detect and defeat modern infrared threats,” Jennifer Bartley, deputy product line director of Integrated Survivability Solutions at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “When stealth is not an option, CMWS provides a shield that enables aircraft survivability and mission execution.”

BAE Systems’ CMWS is part of the company’s Intrepid Shield layered approach to aircraft and ground platform survivability that uses the full electromagnetic spectrum to detect, exploit, and counter advanced threats.

CMWS is designed and manufactured at BAE Systems’ facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire; Austin, Texas; and Huntsville, Alabama.