Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is proposing its AAS-42 infrared search and track (IRST) systems as part of the sensor fit for the F-15K offered by Boeing to South Korea for its F-X fighter competition.
IRST would be built into the Lockheed Martin LANTIRN targeting pod pylon, says director international business development John Schoeppner.
Such an installation will allow the IRST's retention when theF-15K is re-roled from air-to-surface to air-to-air missions. "They can drop the [two] LANTIRN pods and retain the IRST," says Schoeppner. The IRST will give the F-15 a similar capability to that of the rival Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Sukhoi Su-37.
The system, which is a version of the US Navy's Grumman F-14 Tomcat IRST, has a range similar to fighter radars and is designed to detect skin friction heating rather than exhaust plumes. Schoeppner says it can detect tactical ballistic missile launches. Since the 1991 Gulf War, timely detection of mobile launchers so they can be attacked before they find a hiding place has become a key consideration, and North Korea's missile programme continues to be of concern in Seoul.
Source: Flight International
