Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System

Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System

A tactical airborne reconnaissance pod system is a high-resolution sensor suite that enhances the ability of manned fighter aircraft to perform surveillance and photo reconnaissance missions.tactical airborne reconnaissance pod system These systems are designed to be attached to existing combat aircraft, thereby enhancing their capabilities without degrading performance or increasing maintenance requirements.

Historically, fast jets have been equipped with photographic and infrared systems for tactical airborne reconnaissance. The Navy’s Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System, or TARPS, has been flown on Grumman F-14 Tomcat aircraft since the early 1980s.

In the mid-2000s, a number of companies began developing new and more capable pods. The Raytheon MS-110 EO/IR system, for example, offers a dual-band optical and infrared imaging capability that provides day and night, wide area, long range, selective aspect literal imagery collection. It is entering operational service with two initial customers.

The TARS-pod has been upgraded with a real-time data link capability, or DLC, that allows the pod to transmit image data directly to ground systems. This real-time intelligence gives ground commanders the capability to anticipate insurgent movements before they can take place. This is a critical capability that has made a difference in the war against insurgent activity in Iraq.

As a result of a risk reduction demonstration program that ran from January 1999 to July 2001, the Naval Research Laboratory has developed a smart pod concept, known as SHARP (Smart Airborne Reconnaissance Pod). Designed to replace the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance (TARPS) program currently flown on the F-14 Tomcat, SHARP will be adaptable to a number of fighter platforms.

SHARP’s primary objective is to provide responsive tactical airborne reconnaissance for the joint force by leveraging multi-platform capability and a slew of sensors. The pod will attach to the centerline of the F/A-18, and a 1760 interface provides power, signals, and environmental control connections to the aircraft. The pod itself weighs less than a 330-gallon fuel tank and adds only minor impact to the aircraft.

The pod contains a number of sensors, including a two position (vertical and forward oblique) KS-87 frame camera, a KA-99 low altitude panoramic camera, and an AAD-5 infrared imaging sensor. The KS-87 and KA-99 sensors are affixed to the front of the pod, while the AAD-5 is affixed on the rear weapon station.

A TV system in the head up display provides steering commands, target anticipation cues, and sensor status information to the pilot for workload reduction. The operation of the pod uses existing aircraft control and display philosophy and techniques to minimize impact on aircraft performance and maintainability.

JASON BASE, BALAD, IRAQ (AFNS) -- High above the skies of Iraq, Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcons with 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron TARS (Terrain Awareness and Reconnaissance System) pods scout for potential insurgent activities. The Air Force’s TARS, which was recently upgraded with a real-time data link, is providing ground commanders the capability to anticipate insurgent activity before it can unfold. “With TARS-pod imagery, we receive a high-resolution image that helps us achieve effective tactical planning,” said an Intelligence Collections Manager with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Arabian Peninsula.

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