FLIR=IRST??
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i notice that lots of russian fighters ( su27 onwards) n the new Eurocanards ( rafale, Ef2000) have an IRST set, or infra red seach/track that enables them to passively scan for enemy aircraft up to 50-90 nm away by looking for their heat signature... but no US aircraft up to F35 claims to have such a feature, relying on radar and perhaps F22's ALR-94 RWR suite...
question: can the LANTIRN pod's FLIR or the F16 block 60's ( since its the one RSAF will most likely buy) inbuilt one be used for air-to-air as well as air-to-ground? ie scan airspace n detect enemy fighters? or is it air-to-ground only... if so that seems a pretty serious deficiency...
also anyone haf any news on a US equivalent to europe's meteor bvraam... since i heard russia gonna come up wif a extended-range ramjet powered amraamski/R77/AA12... last i heard raytheon stopped development on their meteor rival after losing the eurofighter contract -
LANTIRN can only do ground-attack as it was design for that purpose. The new Sniper XR can do both air-to-air infra-red tracking and ground imaging.Originally posted by wd1:i notice that lots of russian fighters ( su27 onwards) n the new Eurocanards ( rafale, Ef2000) have an IRST set, or infra red seach/track that enables them to passively scan for enemy aircraft up to 50-90 nm away by looking for their heat signature... but no US aircraft up to F35 claims to have such a feature, relying on radar and perhaps F22's ALR-94 RWR suite...
question: can the LANTIRN pod's FLIR or the F16 block 60's ( since its the one RSAF will most likely buy) inbuilt one be used for air-to-air as well as air-to-ground? ie scan airspace n detect enemy fighters? or is it air-to-ground only... if so that seems a pretty serious deficiency...
As for the Block60 Vipers, they will be equiped with 2 senors, one on top on the nose cone and in front of the canopy for air-to-air, and one under the nose cone for air-to-ground. -
i still got the article AFM on UAE blk 60 viper........is said that the undernose senosr is being remove cos is overweight.........Originally posted by Joe Black:LANTIRN can only do ground-attack as it was design for that purpose. The new Sniper XR can do both air-to-air infra-red tracking and ground imaging.
As for the Block60 Vipers, they will be equiped with 2 senors, one on top on the nose cone and in front of the canopy for air-to-air, and one under the nose cone for air-to-ground.
i'll go and find it.... -
found it.....is on Jan 2002 issue
UAE F-16 Blk 60 Details - Dubai 2001
For the first time, Lockheed Martin has displayed a detailed model of a two-seat Block 60 F-16, confirming that at least some of the UAE's F-16Ds will be fully combat -capable version, similar to the specialiesd 'big spine' Block 50 F-16Ds now in service in Israel and Singapore. A significant change has been made to the basic Block 60 airframe- the planned undernose Integrated FLIR targeting System (IFTS) has been removed and replaced iwth a new podded FLIR[, mount on the intake hardpoints.
According to Lockheed Martin, there were problems in achieving the required performance with the original IFTS layout: consequently the Northrop Grumman AAQ-32 targeting FLIR and laser designaotr has been repackaged in a new station. The original wide-area navigation FLIR housing above the nose has been retained, now sharing cooling with AAQ-32 pod. Changes have also made to the Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)5 agile beam radar, necessitating the inroduction of a brand new designation- APG-80.
The first of 80 Block 60 'Desert Falcon' for the UAE is due to fly in August 2003 and three aircraft will be devoted to the four month flight test programme. Deliveries are sceduled to run from 2004 to 2007, with a phased three stage capablity introduction plan for that timeframe. The Block 60 weapons integration will be undertaken at Eglin AFB and in the UAE. According to Lockheed, the Block 60 aircraft will be armed with teh EGBU-24 Paveway III, GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs, the WCMD (Wind Corrected mUnitions Dispensor), the Hakeem family of powered stand-off weapons and 'other' weapons, which are known to include AGM-88 high speed ati-radiation missile (HARM), AIM-9M Sidewinders, and AIM-120 AMRAAMs (see Desert Falcon's AAMS, May 2001, p14) -
I thought that FLIRs can be used for limited air-to-air targeting too? Its just that because the wavelength used on FLIR is not optimised for the detection of airplanes, whose detection is thru detect thru skin friction wavelength or IR engine exhaust wavelength, for which IRSTs are optimised for...
Its true that the Blk 60's under nose FLIR has been removed, but if I remember correctly, it was due to airlow obstruction problems to the engine inlet. -
the us marines plan to use their litening II pod FLIR on their harriers as an irst after experiences in iraq
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thanks wow u guys r pro... though globalsecurity.org's article on Sniper XR or F18E/F's ATFLIR doesnt say anything bout an IRST mode. must be those cool fighter magazines u guys read... at this rate F16 block 60's almost as good as rafale/ef2000 already. thanks...