Dusseldorf-based firm Rheinmetall has secured a contract to supply aircraft decoy flares for the German armed forces.
The 50-million-euro ($54.4 million) agreement stipulates the delivery of Bispectral Infrared Decoy Improved Efficiency (Birdie) systems developed by Rheinmetall segment Waffe Munition in Fronau.
Through the contract option, Berlin will be able to procure more than 470,000 flares from the company.
Work for the contract began last month and will continue until December 2029.
Aircraft Protection
The infrared decoys are ejected from fighter jets, helicopters, and transport planes to deflect an enemy’s homing guided missiles.
Upon deployment, the countermeasure solution replicates the heat signature of exhaust gasses emitted from the aircraft engines, diverting the adversarial warhead’s lock from the actual vehicle.
General Use Decoys
According to Rheinmetall, the products will incorporate IR-Birdie 118 and IR-Birdie 218 decoys.
These variants function as standard flares for all types of aircraft. Both capabilities were already operational under Berlin’s military prior to the latest contract and are designated as “Decoy, Aircraft, DM189A1, PT” and “Decoy, Aircraft, DM169A1, PT.”
“Owing to the current security situation, aircraft self-defence has come sharply back into focus again. Decoys are one way of accomplishing this,” Rheinmetall said.
“Among other things, these include pyrotechnic flares, i.e., products designed to distract infrared search head-equipped surface-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles.”
“Other techniques include chaff for thwarting enemy radar, and smoke-obscurant munitions such as Rheinmetall’s fast-acting ROSY smoke screen.”