Forum: F-16 Armament & Stores

deadseal wrote:

having flown with both, sniper is waaaaaaayyyyyyy better. Better range, better a-a capes etc. The only drawback to sniper is that you have to know that you are looking through a "soda straw". I.E if you are right on top of the target and the coordinates are off...you may not see the target in the pod right away. In my humble opinion, litening is better for CAS and sniper is better for AI or A-A.

Hi deadseal

I don't quite understand. Can't the Sniper pilot simply zoom out to get improve SA and get a full picture of the area?

Is a case of the minimum zoom setting being less than that of the Litening?

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deadseal wrote:

discofishing wrote:

deadseal,
In less than five years you will have a different president and probably a completely different legislative branch. I see the economy improving too. Cheer up dude!

I know. your right Smile

I see we still have some posers here!!!! As far as the next generation of targetting pods - I just had a recent visit with an aquisition officer stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH .. there are two different ones being looked at and they will award them sometime mid this year.

I've flown Lighning AT & Sniper - never seen a G4. Deadseal's on the mark. The issue with Sniper is that you can't get as wide a field of view with Sniper as you can with LAT. With HMCS it isn't as big a deal since I can still get get a mark point and then see where the target is during CAS. At night, doing CAS, I'd prefer a LAT. The rest of the time I like Sniper. Just my 2 cents.

VprWzl wrote:

I've flown Lighning AT & Sniper - never seen a G4. Deadseal's on the mark. The issue with Sniper is that you can't get as wide a field of view with Sniper as you can with LAT. With HMCS it isn't as big a deal since I can still get get a mark point and then see where the target is during CAS. At night, doing CAS, I'd prefer a LAT. The rest of the time I like Sniper. Just my 2 cents.

Cheers VprWzl Cheers

BTW what is AI, verses A-A (Air-to-Air)?

AI = Air Interdiction . . . more like a strike mission

Your looking through a soda straw no matter which pod your flying with. Again each pod has it's plus and minus thats why they buy both of them, and it keeps the competition strong. The G4 pods have not fielded yet and wont until later in the year.

There will be no more Litening or SNIPER pods purchased after FY2010, you can buy ATPSE or nothing.

ViperDude

Can pilots choose between Sniper & Litening pods depending on the mission to be conducted or to they usually just take whatevers available? Or is a case different squadrons using a particular pod, in which case there is no choice?

Last edited by Henrik on Sep 15, 2010 - 03:15 PM; edited 1 time in total

Obi_Offiah wrote:

Can pilots choose between Sniper & Litening pods depending on the mission to be conducted or to they usually just take whatevers available? Or is a case different squadrons using a particular pod, in which case there is no choice?

Obi - the Snipers are primarily assigned to Active Duty Stateside, USAFE and PACAF units alongside the good ol´ AAQ-14s of the LANTIRN system, BUT a few ANG units are also flying the pod. Currently the OK ANG in Tulsa are flying the pod on their Block-42s as well as the SC ANG and their Block-52s and over time the CO, DC, NM, MT and NY have all flown the pod.

Litening are exclusively flown by the AFRC and now most ANG units - except the OK and SC ANG units.

It´s not a matter of choice but a matter of funding and assignment. Same goes for the jamming pods - units are wither assigned the ALQ-131 or the ALQ-184.

Cheers,

Henrik.

Henrik

Osan now has to fly with LAT. They got screwed by pacaf and are forced to share with the a-10's. Who always seem to only give up their shittiest bent, broke a$$ pods. LAT has a mode called superwide, which gets you out of the soda straw. Hence the preference by pilots for CAS missions.

Well if anything, that little intel would at least verify no current intent or plan for offensive ops - which is a good thing as I see it and one which should be a stabilizing effect for the region at that (providing the other guys yet another opportunity to reciprocate in kind) , imho at least.

Now for my honest, open, free-minded opinion (thanks to those who serve in defense of my citizen rights)...

If the DoD wasn't unsustainably spending $200+ million per LRIP F-35 pop intended for an unsustainable, future USAF force structure model, perhaps proportionate budget spending could be better allocated to supply TODAY's actual Air Force contingent charged with current day 'Air Superiority' deterrence capability with sufficient and acceptable, standard avionics systems!

Maybe I'm too critical and not in the loop of how things should be best done for the overall good and best capability, but this is just the way I see it and again... am grateful for the freedom to say it. God speed..

Henrik wrote:

Obi - the Snipers are primarily assigned to Active Duty Stateside, USAFE and PACAF units alongside the good ol´ AAQ-14s of the LANTIRN system, BUT a few ANG units are also flying the pod. Currently the OK ANG in Tulsa are flying the pod on their Block-42s as well as the SC ANG and their Block-52s and over time the CO, DC, NM, MT and NY have all flown the pod.

Litening are exclusively flown by the AFRC and now most ANG units - except the OK and SC ANG units.

It´s not a matter of choice but a matter of funding and assignment. Same goes for the jamming pods - units are wither assigned the ALQ-131 or the ALQ-184.

Cheers,

Henrik.

Well some of this is correct and some of this is not. Pilots don't choose the targeting pod they fly with, it depends on the mission and where they are going in the world.

While it may appear that SNIPERs are primarily assigned Active duty it's only because they own more SNIPER pods then Litening pods. Litening is flown by the ANG, AFRC and ACC not exclusivley by the AFRC. The original Litening pod program was an ANG/AFRC program only and didn't even include the active duty. SNIPER is flown exclusively by ACC and the ANG.

The ANG flys the LANTIRN TGP's for training only.

ViperDude

A couple of ATP related questions for you. The AH-64D’s Target Acquisition/ Designation System (TADS) [you could think of this as our targeting pod] has served us well; however, the “Day-Side” has been in need of an upgrade. Till now the Apache has had only monochromatic EO/FLIR, a non-eyesafe Laser Range Finder/Designator and a non-eyesafe IR-Laser pointer. The laser pointer (IZLID) has been a “federated system” attached to the 30mm gun. This has worked adequately for what we use it for-- low altitude Air/Ground Integration (AGI) and handing off targets to other Apaches. Now Lock/Mart is offering to upgrade our M-TADS with color video, an integrated eye-safe laser range finder, a more powerful Tactical Laser Designator (to support JAGM engagement ranges) as well as offering us an integrated Laser Pointer mounted inside our M-TADS. I'm curious as to how this compares with ATP. Does the ATP have color video with symbology? Do you have an “eye safe” laser range finder? Does your laser pointer have an “eye-safe” setting that you can use for CONUS training? With the ATP can you select steady or pulse options for your laser pointer? Can you activate it and leave it on or does it require a deadman switch/timer? Will it auto-“Rope” or do you have to do it oscillate it manually? Thanks

Forum: F-16 Armament & Stores

LITENING AT vs SNIPER XR