Jeteye Completes its First Flight

Released on Wednesday, July 16, 2008

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom - BAE Systems' JETEYE™ infrared missile defense system has completed its first flight on a scheduled American Airlines aircraft flying from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport.

This begins the final phase of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program to test the suitability of missile protection equipment for commercial aircraft. Previously, the technology was successfully evaluated on an American Airlines test aircraft and an ABX Air, Inc. cargo aircraft.

As part of the DHS Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) program, JETEYE will be installed on two further American Airlines 767-200 aircraft for daily cross-country flights between now and March 2009. The service evaluation will demonstrate the system's maintainability and reliability, as well as overall suitability with the airline industry. There will be no live-fire testing during these flights.

"BAE Systems worked closely with DHS and the airline industry to develop an effective response to potential terrorist threats," said Burt Keirstead, the JETEYE system program director for BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire. "It took a combination of ingenuity and perseverance to get to this point, and everyone involved is proud of the results."

BAE Systems is partnered with American Airlines Maintenance and Engineering Services, which provided the test aircraft and engineering services for the development and refinement of the JETEYE system's installation, operation, and support.

The JETEYE system draws from expertise developed by BAE Systems during decades of effort protecting military aircraft with directable infrared countermeasures technology. DHS awarded BAE Systems a $29 million contract for this final suitability evaluation phase of the Counter-MANPADS program in January. The company developed the JETEYE system during earlier phases of the program, which began in January 2004. It since has received $105 million in funding.

BAE Systems has delivered more than 14,000 infrared countermeasure systems of all kinds worldwide - more than all other participating companies combined.