Pyrophoric Nanoparticles for IR Decoys

Pyrotechnic and pyrophoric IR decoy flares protect military aircraft from IR seeking surface-to-air missiles by closely mimicking the electromagnetic signature of the aircraft in order to divert the missile from its target. Pyrophoric based decoys have advantages over pyrotechnic technology in that they are more covert, are less likely to start fires, and produce a spectral signature that is more effective against dual spectral seeking MANPADs. During Phase II we demonstrated a nanoparticle based IR decoy that rapidly generated relevant apparent temperatures when exposed to air. During the Phase II.5 we will scale the production of devices and perform environmental, ground and flight tests to compare performance with current Raney metal foil technology.