An innovative British aerial testing capability, conceived for evaluating aircraft protection mechanisms under authentic operational conditions, has been established by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in collaboration with industry partners.
Designated EREBUS, this mechanism facilitates the evaluation of safeguard support apparatus during actual airborne operations, prior to their incorporation into operational warplanes.
Safeguard support apparatuses are employed to discern and oppose perils, including radar-controlled and heat-seeking projectiles. Conventionally, a substantial part of their genesis is contingent upon lab-based experiments and simulated environments, where complete incorporation into active service planes embodies an expensive and elevated-danger period.
EREBUS aims to bridge that void through facilitating comprehensive apparatus evaluation under authentic circumstances sooner in the evolution phase. Per Dstl, this strategy is formulated to diminish incorporation hazard, condense schedules, and decrease expenses, simultaneously enabling setups to be fine-tuned prior to deployment on operational units.
This capacity was established alongside QinetiQ and integrates multiple British-engineered mechanisms, all under the scope of the Team Pellonia initiative. Among these are Thales UK’s Elix-IR heat-signature danger alert apparatus, Leonardo UK’s Miysis focused heat-seeking counter-device, the MAPPS-C controller, and the SAGE radar alert and electronic assistance mechanism.
Preliminary aerial evaluations concluded in October 2025, yielding information to aid continuous progress and validation efforts. Additional evaluations are scheduled, emphasizing the streamlining and expediting of protection apparatuses’ incorporation into British armed forces aeroplanes.