Air & Cosmos N°2305 gave us two pages about the future of designation pods for Rafale.
First of all, Damocles XF (and improved Damocles with a TV channel) is dropped.
Then, it's all about the PDL NG (Pod de Désignation Laser Nouvelle Génération = New Generation Laser Designation Pod).
We learn that France will, alone, invest € 450 millions for 45 pods which will equip both Mirage 2000D and Rafale.
While Damocles only used a 320x240 IR sensor, the PDL NG will use a 640x520 matrix. This resolution will be doubled by a micro-scanning technique, a solution preferred to a 1024 pixels wide matrix.
Of course, this IR sensor will be complemented by a TV channel for daylight operations and identification of very small targets (something which lacked with the Damocles too).
Another feature will be an improved geolocalization using GPS + INS (from the airplane) for near-metric accuracy. Damocles already proposed such a function, but not as accurate as the AASM.
The RCS (radar cross section) of the pod will be reduced.
Last but not least, the PDL NG will be carrier compatible.
No comments:
Post a Comment