Mercury’s electronic warfare combat training pod begins flight testing

Why it matters:

To sharpen their combat skills, pilots need to train in mock air-to-air combat with other pilots operating as adversaries. Using mPOD, “adversary” pilots can emulate enemy jamming techniques accurately, conditioning aircrews to evolving threat scenarios and better preparing them for real combat.

“Alternative electronic attack training solutions are difficult to obtain and update,” said Mark Bruington, vice president, Mercury Mission Systems. “Our innovative mPOD is a commercial solution that can be programmed quickly and will help the U.S. and our allies’ military pilots develop tactics to maintain a strategic advantage over adversaries. It will also increase pilot and aircraft survivability and save millions of dollars in training costs through integrated threat presentations.”

Built with proven technology for electronic warfare training, test and evaluation

• Simultaneously emulate multiple National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC)-validated threats with proven Filthy Buzzard digital RF memory (DRFM) technology developed and validated over 35 years in partnership with the U.S Air Force and Navy
• Quickly reprogram missions and threats for different aircraft and radar systems in minutes via an intuitive software interface
• Speed integration with the aircraft display and control panel using the user interface or an integrated cockpit control panel
• Attach the mPOD to any aircraft weapon’s pylon or integrate it within the aircraft to reduce drag and maintain aircraft performance
• Decrease overall sustainment cost through a scalable and modular design with six swappable, high MTBF hardware components including a wideband Meggitt antenna

Mercury envisions, creates, and delivers innovative technology solutions purpose-built to meet their customers’ most pressing high-tech needs. Mercury is taking early orders for the mPOD now.

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