The U.S. Navy is asking the industry to come up with an enhanced electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) countermeasure (CM) to defend its ships against optically guided anti-ship missiles and FAC/FIAC (Fast Attack Craft/Fast Inshore Attack Craft).
By U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Michael J. Pusnik, Jr. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The Combined EO/IR Surveillance and Response System (CESARS) program consists of two parts: Shipboard Panoramic EO/IR Cueing and Surveillance System (SPECSS) and Multispectral EO/IR Countermeasures for Advanced Threats (MEIRCAT).
The primary function of SPECSS is to perform wide field-of-view target detection and tracking, with subsequent cueing of MEIRCAT high-resolution sensors.
A secondary role for the SPECSS is to counter UAVs.