Most members talk about AESA Radar and FLIR on JF-17. There is another light/laser tech called LIDAR. The basics are in this video.
If LIDAR is used in conjunction with FLIR as a multi-sensor unit on a fighter, it could give following advantages:
1. Passive Listening for gathering intelligence on other radar and transmissions over a wide frequency band.
2. Passive detection for accurate determination of jammer bearings.
3. Laser obstacle avoidance and terrain following for covert operations.
4. Real time passive night vision.
5. An automatic target recognition (ATR) system for use in A2A homing missile that could recognize and track a target through fusing data from LIDAR and FLIR sensors.