Guardian Anti-Missile System

The Guardian™ Anti-Missile System is designed to protect aircraft from shoulder-launched missiles known as MANPADS. When an incoming missile is detected, the system directs a multi-band laser onto the seeker head of the missile, disrupting its guidance signal and diverting its flight path. Guardian is designed to operate autonomously, without input from the flight crew.

We provide Tactical Fast Steering Mirrors (TFSM) for the Guardian program to prime contractor Northrop Grumman. This technology provides rapid fine pointing and compensates for jitter in Guardian’s adaptive optics system. Our technology has been refined since we first began designing and developing custom fast steering mirrors in 1983. Our design surpasses other technologies because it has a patented suspension that effectively eliminates jitter due to vibration. Our ruggedized TFSM is adapted for tactical environments and light-weighted for optimum performance.

Over the last several decades, we’ve designed and produced more than 50 unique Fast Steering Mirror designs incorporating a range of digital and analog controllers and a variety of substrate materials and coating technologies. The responsiveness and high accuracy of our mirrors have made them a key component for numerous applications such as laser communications, astronomical telescopes, Earth-observation and surveillance satellites, gimbaled sensors and high-energy laser systems.