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Enthusiast Joined: Aug 02, 2006 Posts: 62 Status: Offline

Hello!

I do know something about targeting pods but the whole target identification is quite a mystery for me. Let's imagine a very big battlefield or a city and lots of buildings and possible targets there. How pilots can actually find their specific target from there? I mean do the pod act like a navigator itself with GPS data on it or does the pilot have to rely on other information like pictures from the target or something like that?

"A "horizon-natural" system automatically flipped the image over if it became inverted." This sentence from vectorsite.com really made me wonder. Does the actual FLIR system flips over or is it just all the computers which do the job? http://www.vectorsite.net/twbomb_12.html

Thank You for the answers and have a great new year 2008! Cheers

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Viper,

I hate to say it, but i think you are asking the wrong question in this forum. Not only is the info you seek possibly sensitive as for as a national security standpoint, but it could also be sensitive from a proprietary standpoint. very few people i think would be willing to give you the info that you seek...

Enthusiast Joined: Aug 02, 2006 Posts: 62 Status: Offline

Yeah I wasn't too sure about that either but I decided to ask anyway. When playing Falcon 4.0 AF these questions just popped into my mind. Well moderators can lock/remove this thread anytime they want and I don't mind that at all. And to remind you all I'm not interested in any information what doesn't need to be known.

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1136

Without getting into need-to-know issues, flipping the image is easier to do in software than it is to rotate the imager 180 degrees. Back in the Pave Tack era it may have been different, but a layman's guess would be modern targeting pods just flip the image over with computer code.

As to how targets are found, especially in urban environments, there are soldiers that specifically handle that role. Here's a nice article discussing it: http://www.afa.org/magazine/Aug2005/0805target.asp

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2850

PAVE TACK

What a piece of amazing gear... It was huge. I saw those hung on occassion on the centerline of RF-4s when they were new Shocked

. The test equipment in the backshop was impressive too.

Guns. New generation pods can provide a geo location or snap to a geo location. As you can guess, that saves a lot of workload for a single seat attack jet like the F-16. Cool

Elite 1K Joined: Apr 26, 2004 Posts: 1206 Status: Offline

Without giving any secrets every POD is different. Some are IFR, some are video,.......so with that said it's hard to answer.

Elite 1K Joined: Apr 26, 2004 Posts: 1206 Status: Offline

Without giving any secrets every POD is different. Some are IFR, some are video,.......so with that said it's hard to answer.

Enthusiast Joined: Aug 02, 2006 Posts: 62 Status: Offline

Many thanks to everyone for your patience!

http://www.ausairpower.net/TE-AVQ-26-GBU-15.html
This Aussie site is pretty impressive when it comes to the information. For example this page about Pave Tack and GBU-15 contains quite strange words for me Very Happy

Oh and I remember that Pave Tack system was also known as Pave Drag because of its size.

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2850

Especially when some of the RF-4 peeps had it for a while. At least with the F-111 you could pull it into the bay. With the RF-4 it was pure fuel consumption. Laughing

All I can say is that targeting pods and sniper's look good on the new CCIP MFDs!!

Drool

_Viper_ wrote:

I do know something about targeting pods but the whole target identification is quite a mystery for me. Let's imagine a very big battlefield or a city and lots of buildings and possible targets there. How pilots can actually find their specific target from there? I mean do the pod act like a navigator itself with GPS data on it or does the pilot have to rely on other information like pictures from the target or something like that?

Generally speaking, targeting pods either generate gps coordinates from firing a laser or they fire on a pre-designated coordinate from mission planning/intel or get coordinates from ground controllers.

Cheers,

ViperDude

F-16.net Editor Joined: Sep 23, 2003 Posts: 2850

Don't forget. New targeting pods are being integrated with ROVER. Laughing

As you know Google has a few good sites you can find basic information.
http://www.defense-update.com/directory/litening.htm

You will seldom if ever see data from the actual picture because some of that is classified. Even on strike films on You Tube will have section blocked or covered before they are released.
We used to run up TGM Mavericks on the ramp checking them out for video. I used to think the inferred versions were pretty cool until I ran a LANTIRN pod.
At one desert location I was able to see and track a truck in IR mode along a mountain road. I could see the motor and wheels very clearly. I can't say what the range was but without the pod I would never have known he was out there.
The newer pods are even better with zoom and lock at even longer distances.
What you can see and how to employ it can be seen by playing Falcon 4 or Janes F-15E games. They will give you the best information without getting anyone upset. Even in the games mission planing is the key unless you are covering a known area looking for targets of opportunity, like a Predator.
You better have good Intel on who is good and who is bad or it will certainly get ugly.

elp wrote:

Don't forget. New targeting pods are being integrated with ROVER. Laughing

That'd be a bit draggy wouldn't it? Smile

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A couple questions about targeting pods