Pakistan orders DB-110 pods for F-16 fleet

[Lankan Ranger]

Pakistan orders DB-110 pods for F-16 fleet

Goodrich has won a $72 million contract to provide Pakistan with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance pods and related items for its Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters.

The main component of the deal comprises five dual-band DB-110 pods, says the US Department of Defense.

According to Goodrich, the DB-110 reconnaissance sensor provides three independent optical fields of view, allowing it to perform the following ISR missions: long-range stand-off, medium-range oblique and overflight, and low-altitude direct overflight.

The deal also includes two datalink upgrades to existing pods, plus ground stations, spares, manuals, in-country installation and engineering support.

"This supports a Foreign Military Sale programme and Pakistani F-16 aircraft," says the DoD. At this time, $17.3 million of the total value has been obligated, it adds.

Pakistan is fighting Islamic insurgents in its western provinces on its border with Afghanistan, placing a premium on reconnaissance assets. The nation's air force operates F-16A/B and C/D-model aircraft.

Goodrich has previously sold the DB-110 to other F-16 operators, including Poland.

Military Aircraft and Military Aviation News from Flightglobal

 

[killeragent]

Goodrich Corporation has been awarded a US$72 million contract to equip Lockheed-Martin F-16 fighters of the Pakistan Air Force with five DB-110 dual-band (visual/IR) reconnaissance pods. The systems will be delivered with two fixed ground stations and one mobile ground station, each equipped with one datalink receiving system (a total of four ground receiving datalinks will be delivered).





The Pakistan Air Force plans to augment the new capability by establishing a ‘reconnaissance fusion center’, the current contract funds the initial study of such facility to be provided by Goodrich. The U.S. Air Force is assigning a private U.S. company to train Pakistani operators and technicians in supporting the new systems.

The Pakistani air force is already operating two similar recce pods, which will now be modified with suitable datalinks to match the new ground stations. According to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency ex-U.S. Air Force F-16A/B fighters transferred to the Pakistani Air Force in 2008 were prepared to operate reconnaissance pods. No such capability was mentioned for the new F-16 Block 52 aircraft although it is likely that the pods will also be employed by these fighters.


The Goodrich DB-110 recce pod is operational with the Polish and Hellenic NATO Air Forces. Recent sales were approved for the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Oman.
The DB-110 operates autonomously on the F-16, controlled by the pod’s reconnaissance management system. Imagery can be viewed on the F-16’s cockpit video display, enabling the pilot to verify targets and conduct tasks such as battle damage assessment. The real-time display also gives the pilot or aircrew more flexibility selecting alternate route to a selected target or seeking out targets of opportunity.

Goodrich’s DB-110 pod has become a standard reconnaissance pod for the F-16, included in almost every new sales package of this aircraft. The pod is operational with the Polish and Hellenic NATO Air Forces, Recent sales were authorized for the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Oman. The pod is also operated in its original ‘Raptor’ configuration, on Tornado GR4 and Japanese P-3C maritime patrol aircraft. Saudi Arabia has also been offered 10 DB-110 pods, yet to be integrated on their F-15SA Eagle as part of the latest multi-billion shopping spree of U.S. arms.

More recently the DB-110 system has also been modified to operate on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) such as the Reaper – demonstrating the capability to operate simultaneously with other UAV sensor systems, including full motion video short range imaging payloads, radars and weapons.



It means, if R&D is done over it, it could also help pakistan's UAV program.
If done would US object again like Harpoon missile.

 

[Frankenstein]

DB110 Aerial Reconnaissance Pod

The Goodrich's DB-110 reconnaissance pod is a digital, real-time, tactical reconnaissance system designed to capture images in day or night, using electro-optical sensor technology. The pod can transmit Images via datalink to the ground in real time. The system is produced Goodrich's Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems (SRS) team based in Chelmsford, Mass. The data link ground stations are designed and built by a Goodrich facility in Malvern, U.K. for the Poland Peace Sky Program.

The DB-110 is a long-range oblique sensor to provide long-range, medium range and short-range imaging systems to support standoff and penetrating missions. It can be operated autonomously, by the pod's reconnaissance management system. Imagery is viewed on the F-16's cockpit video display, enabling the pilot to verify targets and conduct tasks such as battle damage assessment. This system allows the pilot increased flexibility over current fielded systems.

The DB-110/RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado) delivers high definition imagery in the visible and infrared bands at extremely long ranges. Its offers broad area coverage, spot and stereo coverage. The systems use an 11" aperture telescope with adjustable focal length of 110" in the visible range and 55" in the IR range. The EO assembly is mounted on a two-axis stabilized maintaining 180° field of regard across, and ± 20° along the line of flight. The system has two-axis line of sight stabilization, and is compensated for ground speed range of 0.1 to 1.6 Mach, at altitude above 10,000 feet. It provides variable overlap capability, from 10 to 100% and panoramic scanning (4° to 28°).

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[fatman17]

what was the harpoon objection!?

 

[killeragent]

what was the harpoon objection!?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/world/asia/30missile.html