Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System

Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System

The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) is a large and sophisticated camera pod carried by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.tactical airborne reconnaissance pod system The pod contains multiple camera sensors that are aimed down at the surrounding terrain to capture day and night imagery. The TARPS sensor suite is designed to respond to battlefield intelligence requirements in Near Real Time. This is accomplished by providing tactical commanders with an organic, survivable and responsive penetrating reconnaissance capability that can respond in all weather conditions. The TARPS system is designed to provide the Navy and USMC (United States Marine Corps) with an alternative to existing satellite systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The TARPS system was originally developed to meet an urgent need for an organic tactical reconnaissance capability during high intensity operations. At the time, existing film-based reconnaissance systems were incapable of meeting the required timelines and support demands. The TARPS pod enables the tactical air force to collect, process and transmit imagery directly to ground operators in a short time period, which eliminates the requirement for wet film processing and exploitation.

Unlike traditional cameras, the TARPS sensors are based on advanced digital technology. This allows the sensors to store data on a computer chip, which greatly increases image fidelity and provides a wider range of exploitation capabilities. In addition, the new TARPS sensor system requires significantly less maintenance than traditional film systems.

The tarps system consists of three components: a two-position (vertical and forward oblique) KS-87 frame camera, a KA-99 low altitude panoramic camera, and an AAD-5 infrared reconnaissance sensor. The entire system is mounted on the F-14 on weapon station #5. The pod poses no penalty on the aircraft's performance and requires only power, signal, and environmental control connections to operate.

A TARPS squadron is staffed with Navy photographer's mates and Avionics Technicians who maintain the camera systems, and deploy the pod when needed. Once a TARPS mission is completed, the Intelligence Specialists work on a light table to analyze and exploit the resulting imagery.

As of today, TARPS remains the fleet's primary organic reconnaissance asset and continues to respond to USAF, USMC, and JFACC (Joint Forces Air Component Commander) requirements. It also provides a unique and critical capability that fills the high threat, under-the-weather gap not currently addressed by other systems such as UAVs and satellites.

In the future, the TARPS sensor suite will be replaced by a digitized pod that stores images on a computer chip and sends them to an on-board server. This will dramatically increase the exploitation capability of the pod and allow for more timely and accurate reconnaissance data collection. It will also reduce the amount of wet film and other consumables used in the exploitation process, and it will allow for the integration of a second forward looking EO framing sensor and provision for a P3I Common Data Link.