Lockheed-Martin LANTIRN 2000 Program

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LANTIRN consists of two pods which are mounted under the air intake. With this advanced equipment the aircraft has the capabilities of a forward-looking IR sensor and terrain following radar. This means the pilot may also access a TV image on his MFD. The targeting pod contains the FLIR tracker and a laser designator/ranger which allows designation of targets at night using laser guided ordinance. Using the LANTIRN equipment the pilot can fly with radar off allowing for greater stealth.

LANTIRN (Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) is the world's combat–proven precision attack system. More than 1,400 pods are deployed by the US Air Force, Air National Guard and Navy, and nine international air forces. The US Air Force has made a commitment to fly and fight with LANTIRN until 2025. Three hardware enhancements to the targeting pod comprise the basic LANTIRN 2000. These additions are:

• A quantum well, third-generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor.
• A 40,000-foot altitude, diode-pumped laser.
• A more compact, more powerful computer system.

LANTIRN 2000 delivers multi-mission success. It offers high-resolution FLIR imagery with extended range and reliability. Greater target detection, recognition and engagement ranges increase the probability of a first-pass kill by 50 to 60 percent. Full exploitation of the GBU-24 envelope ensures more kills per sortie at lower attrition rates. New capabilities include air-to-air, reconnaissance, theater missile defense, and battle damage assessment missions.

Thanks to ongoing research and development funding and cost of ownership improvements, Lockheed Martin has modified a targeting pod for the 21st century at minimal cost. Advances in processing, system architecture and graphical user interface make LANTIRN 2000 support equipment less costly, more reliable and easy to upgrade.

High performance and increased reliability of LANTIRN 2000 significantly reduce its cost of ownership and lower its operations and support costs by 40 percent.

Quantum Well FLIR: The World's New Standard for Imagery

The 8- to 12- micron FLIR uses quantum well technology for low-cost construction of extremely dense detector arrays. It extends weapon standoff range more than 50 percent, adding the mission flexibility of battle damage assessment and reconnaissance. Greater standoff range ensures less aircraft attrition. This third-generation FLIR is 23 percent more reliable.

Diode-Pumped Laser: Greater Range and Reliability

The diode pumped laser operates at a greater range with a smaller spot size. Its lower beam divergence, greater resolution and pointing accuracy at 40,000 feet expand the altitude and range of the targeting pod. The diode-pumped laser is 17 percent more reliable, thanks to an improved power supply, fewer parts and a cooler operating temperature. An eye-safe training laser with tactical performance and range is integrated.

Enhanced Computer System: Smaller, Lighter, More Powerful

The LANTIRN 2000 computer is smaller, weighs half as much, and uses two times less power than the computer it replaces. Throughput, memory and reliability are optimized. Software, cabling and interfaces remain the same.

LANTIRN 2000+: A Full Menu of Mission Capabilities

Lockheed Martin continues to invest in research and development to keep LANTIRN versatile, reliable and cost-effective. Additional options are:

• A laser spot tracker to improve target identification and limit collateral damage.
• A digital disk recorder for battle damage assessment and reconnaissance mission support.
• An automatic target recognition system to reduce pilot workload by classifying high-priority targets.
• A TV sensor, which has been successfully tested and flown, provides added capability around the clock.