Northrop Grumman announced that its integrated missile warning system, the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM), has been declared capable of full speed production and operation by the Army. Northrop completed a six-month initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) activity before the Army provided a classification, which also means that the Northrop Grumman airborne anti missile system will engage in mass production.

Bob Gough, Vice President of Navigation, Targeting, and Survivability at Northrop Grumman, said in a press statement, "Through our collaboration with the US Army and suppliers, we have delivered over 100 production systems. The successful completion of IOT&E confirms that CIRCM is ready for full speed production Gough said that the CIRCM system will be used for rotary wing, tiltrotor, and small fixed wing aircraft such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook, and AH-64 Apache. Gough said, "CIRCM protects these platforms so that they can conduct airstrikes, aerial operations, armed escorts, reconnaissance, and security operations. In addition, CIRCM allows rotary wing aircraft to land and take off from anywhere, which is crucial for the role of medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) teams Gaofu said that the CIRCM system is capable of autonomous operation and can withstand Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).

Before takeoff, the crew turned on CIRCM and set it to a mode that allows laser emission, "Gough said. After this, CIRCM autonomously cooperated with missile warning systems to quickly defeat missile threats. When CIRCM does capture and intercept a missile, it will notify the crew through information and audio signals on the glass cockpit, or through a dedicated control panel, depending on the installation of the aircraft Gao Fu said that CIRCM is prompted by the missile warning system and automatically searches and tracks missiles. Gao Fu said, "CIRCM accurately tracks these rapidly moving and highly agile missiles, and then activates the narrow beam infrared laser interference threat. The laser beam confused the missile, causing it to quickly deviate from its course and protecting the aircraft. After the missile failure, CIRCM quickly released jamming resources to respond to the next missile threat. The entire process from discovery to failure can be completed in a few seconds Gaofu said that the system adopts an open system architecture and can work in conjunction with various missile warning systems. It also interacts with other survivability devices, such as rocket dispensers. Gough said, "One of the main components for implementing CIRCM is the missile warning system. The missile warning system detects incoming threatening missiles and sends directional signals to CIRCM. From the beginning, CIRCM was designed around the principles of modular open systems architecture (MOSA), so that it can work in conjunction with various missile warning systems. CIRCM has been integrated and flight tested with three different missile warning systems