Targeting pods are target designation tools used by ground-attack aircraft for identifying targets and guiding precision guided munitions (PGM) such as laser-guided bomb

Laser-guided bomb

A laser-guided bomb is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. LGBs are one of the most common and widespread guided bombs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.- Overview :Laser-guided munitions use a...

s to those targets. The first targeting pods were developed in conjunction with the earliest generation of PGMs in the mid 1960s.

Laser designators

The design of laser-guided bombs requires a "laser spot tracker" that locates reflected pulses of laser light from a designated target. This enables an aircraft's targeting system to home in on that specific target. The simplest spot trackers (like the Pave Penny

Pave Penny

The Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-35 Pave Penny is a laser spot tracker carried by US Air Force attack aircraft and fighter-bombers to enable them to track a laser spot on the ground...

 pod) have no laser at all, just a laser sensor.
Some targeting systems incorporate a laser rangefinder

Rangefinder

A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure ; others measure distance using trigonometry...

, a laser beam that can calculate the precise range to a target and communicate that information to the nav/attack system

Nav/attack system

A nav/attack system is a generic term for an integrated suite of sensors and navigation equipment that allow a military aircraft to locate and attack specific ground targets with a high degree of precision....

. Many targeting pods or installations use the same sensor as the laser spot tracker to receive the reflected rangefinder signal, so they can perform both ranging and tracking; these are called laser ranger and marked target seeker (LRMTS).
Some targeting systems have a laser that can designate a target for laser-guided munitions, enabling the aircraft to designate its own targets or designate for other friendly units. LRMTS installations (particularly fixed internal units) of the 1970s often did not have a laser of sufficient power and slant range to designate targets, although they could provide rangefinding. Such units still required targets to be designated by a ground designator or forward air control

Forward air control

Forward air control is the provision of guidance to Close Air Support aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller . For NATO forces the qualifications and experience required to be...

ler in another aircraft.

Electro-optics

The basic Electro-optical

Electro-optics

Electro-optics is a branch of technology involving components, devices and systems which operate by modification of the optical properties of a material by an electric field...

 (EO) sensor is essentially a closed-circuit television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 camera, usually with a magnification lens, helping the aircrew to locate and identify targets. For night and adverse weather use, many EO sensors incorporate low-light light-amplification systems. Some pods supplement the basic visual EO with forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) to aid in locating and identifying targets in darkness. Such systems are sometimes called infrared search and track

Infra-red search and track

An infra-red search and track system is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infra-red radiation such as jet aircraft and helicopters. IRST is a generalized case of Forward Looking Infra-Red , i.e. from Forward-Looking to allround situational awareness...

 sensors.

Radar

Some pods may contain a small radar set for targeting and navigation, particularly for aircraft that have no search radar. Such a system, for example, was developed for the unsuccessful N/AW (Night/Adverse Weather) version of the USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II

A-10 Thunderbolt II

The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...

. Currently, laser and infrared systems are more popular than radar because they are less easily detected by adversaries, providing less warning to the target. Lasers can also provide more accurate ranging data for aerial gunnery.

Laser designator pods

• ATLIS
• ATLIS II
  ATLIS II
  The Thomson-CSF ATLIS II is a French laser/electro-optical targeting pod for fighter bomber and attack aircraft.ATLIS was developed starting in 1976, entering service in 1980...
  
  
• Pave Knife
  Pave Knife
  The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-10 Pave Knife was an early targeting pod developed by the USAF to designate and guide laser-guided bombs.Pave Knife was developed in 1969 to replace the original, essentially improvised Airborne Laser Designator . ALD was not a pod, but a hand-held laser operated by the...
  
  
• Pave Spike
  Pave Spike
  The Westinghouse AN/ASQ-153\AN/AVQ-23 Pave Spike is an electro-optical laser designator pod used to direct laser-guided bombs to target in daylight, visual conditions...
  
  

FLIR and laser designator pods

• AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR
  AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR
  The AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared is a multi-sensor, electro-optical targeting pod incorporating infrared, low-light television camera, laser rangefinder/target designator, and laser spot tracker developed and manufactured by Raytheon...
  
  
• ASELPOD
  ASELPOD
  The ASELPOD is a targeting and navigation pod developed by ASELSAN of Turkey for use by the Turkish Air Force. It is similar in design to the LITENING III. The ASELPOD greatly increases the combat effectiveness of combat aircraft, allowing them to fly at very low altitudes, at night and under bad...
  
  
• FILAT
  FILAT
  FILAT pod is an airborne attack pod designed to provide aircraft with all weather / night attack capabilities...
  
  
• LANTIRN
  LANTIRN
  Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN, is a combined navigation and targeting pod system for use on the USAF's premier fighter aircraft — the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon...
  
  
• LITENING
  LITENING targeting pod
  The AN/AAQ-28 LITENING targeting pod is a precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of combat aircraft. LITENING significantly increases the combat effectiveness of the aircraft during day, night and under-the-weather conditions in the attack of ground and air...
  
  
• Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk
  AN/AAS-38
  The Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-38 "Nitehawk" is a FLIR & laser designation & tracker pod system for use with laser-guided munitions.The Martin-Marietta ASQ-173 LST mounted on an F/A-18C....
  
  
• Lockheed Martin Sniper XR
  Lockheed Martin Sniper XR
  The Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod , designated AN/AAQ-33 in U.S. Military Service, provides positive target identification, autonomous tracking, coordinate generation, and precise weapons guidance from extended standoff ranges. The Sniper ATP is used on the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16...
  
  
• Pave Tack
  Pave Tack
  The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack is an electro-optical targeting pod developed by the United States Air Force for military attack aircraft. It uses a laser and a forward-looking infrared to find and designate targets for laser-guided bombs and other precision-guided weapons...
  
  
• PDLCT
  PDLCT
  The PDLCT is a targeting pod used on Mirages 2000D, notably. They are being superseded by the Thalès Damoclès....
  
  
• Thalès Damoclès
  Thales Damocles
  The Damocles is a 3rd generation targeting pod for military aircraft made by Thales Group produced in Elancourt France. It is a modular, eye-safe laser, high performance pod selected by the French Air Force for its attack fighter aircraft fleet. It features a long-range laser designator, an...
  
  
• TIALD
  TIALD
  TIALD, the Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designator pod, is manufactured by SELEX Galileo and was the UK's primary laser designator for laser-guided bombs....
  
  
• Optronic pod “Sapsan-E”

External links

• VectorSite.net article - Targeting Pods