F-15Cs using Sniper pod?

[sferrin]

Apparently at least some F-15Cs have been using Sniper pods for psuedo-IRSTs.

https://theaviationist.com/2016/05/01/u-s-f-15s-have-dominated-the-skies-during-frisian-flag-exercise-in-central-europe/

Obviously the things (probably) don't have scanning capability but if cued by an LPI radar (or another aircraft. . .say an F-22) I'd think they'd have enough zoom capability to assist with passive NCTR.

 

[DrRansom]

The USAF has expressed interest in procuring a proper IRST for the F-15s, Northrop and Lockheed have suggested their own IRSTs. Lockheed, I believe, is heavily based off (copies?) the F-14 version. Northrop may have a deal with a European manufacturer.

Does anyone know if the F-35 pod will have proper IRST capability or only approximate, like the Sniper pod.

 

[sferrin]

The USAF has expressed interest in procuring a proper IRST for the F-15s, Northrop and Lockheed have suggested their own IRSTs. Lockheed, I believe, is heavily based off (copies?) the F-14 version. Northrop may have a deal with a European manufacturer.

Yes, I'm aware of that. The point is, this is the first I've ever heard of F-15Cs using Sniper pods for that.

Does anyone know if the F-35 pod will have proper IRST capability or only approximate, like the Sniper pod.

The F-35 doesn't have a "pod" as such. It has full spherical IIR coverage but IIRC only the turret below the nose has zoom capability. From Grumman's site:

The DAS provides:

Missile detection and tracking
Launch point detection
Situational awareness IRST & cueing
Weapons support
Day/night navigation

http://www.northropgrumman.com/capabilities/anaaq37f35/pages/default.aspx

 

[bring_it_on]

The USAF has expressed interest in procuring a proper IRST for the F-15s, Northrop and Lockheed have suggested their own IRSTs. Lockheed, I believe, is heavily based off (copies?) the F-14 version. Northrop may have a deal with a European manufacturer.

Does anyone know if the F-35 pod will have proper IRST capability or only approximate, like the Sniper pod.

Lockheed is basing its offering on the IRST-21, which is a evolution of the F-14 AN/AAS-42 IRST, and what is also being used by the USN and Boeing on the Super Hornet. Northrop Grumman is borrowing the Typhoon sensor. Export Strike Eagles already carry a modified AN/AAS-42 version dubbed "TiGER EYES"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYpgwqSJMLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUTlXHdnQz0

The EODAS offers spherical IRST coverage, but the EOTS obviously offers the main front sector IRST coverage on the F-35

 

[sferrin]

Given all the past US fighters that had IRSTs (well IR sensors anyway) it always surprises me that they got rid of them. Just off the top of my head: the F-101, F-102, F-106, XF-108, YF-12, F-8, F-4, F-14, and I'm sure several others I'm missing, all had them. The XF-108 and YF-12 would have had two.

 

[DrRansom]

I get that DAS gives 360 coverage, but my questions is: does F-35 targeting pod give full IRST capabilities, e.g. long range search mode? Or is it just IRST like Sniper pod, in that a really good IR camera can be used for IRST. I suspect it is like Sniper pod, a good secondary capability.

I don't get the move away from IRSTs, F-22 has space for one but it was never installed?

 

[bring_it_on]

I get that DAS gives 360 coverage, but my questions is: does F-35 targeting pod give full IRST capabilities, e.g. long range search mode? Or is it just IRST like Sniper pod, in that a really good IR camera can be used for IRST. I suspect it is like Sniper pod, a good secondary capability.

The EOTS comes with Air-Surface and Air-Air FLIR and IRST Modes.

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/mfc/pc/f-35-lightning-ii-electro-optical-targeting-system-etos/mfc-f35-eots-pc.pdf

Current EOTS-

A lightweight system (weighing less than 200 lb [90 kg]), EOTS features passive and active ranging through a single-aperture durable sapphire window located under the nose of the F-35 in a low-drag fairing. The EOTS sensors comprise an air-to-ground FLIR (Forward-Looking InfraRed) tracker featuring an advanced Gen 3 mid-wave (3-5 'm) focal plane array (FPA); an air-to-air InfraRed Search-and-Track (IRST) system (also using a 3-5 'm FPA); a tactical eye safe diode-pumped laser rangefinder/designator; and a laser spot tracker. These are linked to the aircraft's central computer through a high-speed fibre-optic interface.

Advanced EOTS (To begin testing next year) -

Advanced EOTS is predominantly a hardware upgrade, improving on EOTS' mid-wave IR camera, laser designator, and infrared search and track (IRST) capability.

"When you look at Advanced EOTS, we have a higher resolution mid-wave camera, we add a TV in this case, a TV SWIR [short-wave IR] camera so we add another IR band for greater resolution and greater utility in different environmental conditions, we add an IR marker and probably the biggest impact to performance increase we get, we grow the aperture," Bolling said. "The main camera lens, we grow it to get significantly improved range performance."

I don't get the move away from IRSTs, F-22 has space for one but it was never installed?

It went away along with the cheek and wing arrays (see below).