The US is to buy British-made decoy devices to protect Navy F-35 stealth jets from incoming missiles, in a boost to the UK’s defence industry.
Around 1,000 to 2,000 of the BriteCloud devices, which are produced in Luton by Leonardo UK, will be purchased per year to begin with.
The expendable decoys, which are the size of a drinks can, are ejected from the back of an aircraft to draw away incoming missiles by mimicking the signals of the original target.
They are fired out of the aircraft’s flare dispenser in the same way as chaff or flares.
BriteCloud is also used by the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon fighter jets and has been cleared for use with the F-16 fighter jet in the US previously.
According to the public notice published by the Pentagon, the US now wants to buy BriteCloud devices from Leonardo UK for use with the F-35, the West’s most advanced stealth fighter.
It added that Leonardo was “the only contractor who possesses the manufacturing technology, infrastructure, capacity and platform qualifications to complete all requirements”.
The notice said: “The Naval Air Systems Command intends to negotiate and award a contract … to Leonardo, United Kingdom.”
Iain Bancroft, senior vice president electronic warfare at Leonardo, said BriteCloud protects an aircraft and its pilot “from any incoming missiles” using advanced jamming and signals technology.
Speaking to The Telegraph at the Royal International Air Tattoo, he added: “This is absolutely cutting edge, nobody else in the world has this capability.
“It is in operational use with the UK and we have been doing testing in the US with the Air National Guard since 2018.
“BriteCloud is an expendable, programmable, active decoy with no integration costs.
“It effectively jams signals and spoofs an incoming missile, so it will not know where the aircraft is.
“The device was designed and developed in Luton and we now have a large manufacturing facility there as well.”
Around 1,000 people are employed at Leonardo’s factory in Luton.
The F-35 “fifth-generation” jet is the most expensive weapons system in military history.
The US Department of Defense estimated that each F-35B, the vertical take-off and landing variant used by the Royal Navy, had a 2015 cost of $251m (£194m).
Made by Lockheed Martin, they are capable of sneaking through enemy air defences to carry out bombing missions, as well as conducting air-to-air missions and intelligence gathering.
Britain has committed to bringing 48 F-35s into service by 2025, at a cost of £9.1bn. It has placed an order for 138 overall.
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