This paper analyses the effectiveness of Infra-red (IR) suppression and omni-directional jamming systems, calculating the improvement in aircraft susceptibility that results from both their independent and combined use. The improvement in susceptibility, in conjunction with real-world aircraft IR missile engagement statistics, is used to estimate the cost effectiveness of the IR countermeasures. Results are presented for a typical military utility helicopter. The main conclusion of the paper is that while IR suppression improves the susceptibility of an aircraft by reducing the range of IR seeker lock, the reduction in IR signature also improves the protection area of an IR jammer, improving the jammer effectiveness. IR suppression and jamming are shown to be effective on a cost basis since their price is more than offset by the savings that result from the improved aircraft susceptibility.
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