Pentagon Needs To Complete Fielding of DAIRCM Countermeasures System To Combat Helicopters
By Loren Thompson
March 13, 2023
March 30 marks the eighth anniversary of the day in 2015 when the Joint Chiefs of Staff formally identified an urgent need for improved protection of combat helicopters against attack by man-portable and vehicle-mounted surface-to-air missiles.
Man-portable air defense systems, or manpads, have become ubiquitous among the world’s armed forces, thanks to their relatively low cost and increasing effectiveness. They have also found their way into the hands of non-state actors.
It is a safe bet that the joint force will encounter such threats to its rotorcraft virtually anywhere that it fights in the years ahead. The 2015 “joint urgent operational need” document recognized the requirement for all services to begin providing their rotorcraft with suitable self-protection systems.
That applies in particular to low-flying helicopters likely to be used frequently in combat environments, for example those attached to Marine expeditionary units.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2023/03/13/pentagon_needs_to_complete_fielding_of_daircm_countermeasures_system_to_combat_helicopters_886878.html
