Back to the Future

Mihir Paul

Modern-day aerial warfare is not just limited to air-to-air combat but also air-to-ground combat along with prolific intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance elements. Modern fighter aircraft utilise an array of sensors to track, locate, and engage both aerial and ground targets at incredibly high altitudes and speeds.

Thales’ TALIOS pod fitted on a Rafale

Presently, aircraft and helicopters alike utilise onboard radars and cameras to track targets. A pilot today is expected to not only be able to accurately track and engage aerial and ground targets, but also relay crucial intelligence and surveillance data back to ground stations and ground forces in real-time.

At its most basic level, fighter aircraft use an Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system which is basically an infrared energy detection device that is fitted in a spherical glass enclosure on the front of a fighter aircraft. These systems can scan the airspace ahead of the jet for heat signatures caused by aircraft engines and/or skin friction caused by the aircraft flying through the air. Once the system detects a target, it usually has an ability to lock that target up, or a way to facilitate the crew in slaving their fighter’s radar onto the point in space where that heat signature exists in order to attempt a radar lock. Modern variations of IRSTs can search out to intermediate ranges, track multiple targets and even engage other aircraft using its telemetry data alone. This is where optronic pods come in.

Optronic pods are the next step in the evolution of network-centric AI-driven tracking, targeting, and engagement s