The

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk is a

FLIR Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation. The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...

laser designator A laser designator is a laser light source which is used to designate a target. Laser designators provide targeting for laser-guided bombs, missiles, or precision artillery munitions, such as the Paveway series of bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire, or ...

, and

laser tracker {{Short description, Instruments that accurately measure large objects Laser trackers are instruments that accurately measure large objects by determining the positions of optical targets held against those objects. The accuracy of laser trackers ...

pod system for use with

laser-guided Laser guidance directs a robotics system to a target position by means of a laser beam. The laser guidance of a robot is accomplished by projecting a laser light, image processing and communication to improve the accuracy of guidance. The key ide ...

munitions. The Nite Hawk has been used with the

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

, and has presumably been tested with the

A-7E Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was ...

. The Lockheed Martin (ex Loral / Texas Instruments ex Ford Aerospace / Texas Instruments) AAS-38A/B Nite Hawk forward-looking infrared (FLIR) is the Night Attack Hornet /A-18C and F/A-18DLaser Target Designation (LTD) system for laser-guided munitions delivery. Mounted on the port fuselage (Station 4), the AAS-38 enhances the Hornet's night attack capability by providing real-time Forward Looking Infrared

LIR Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; ''Ler'' and ''Lir'' are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is na ...

thermal imagery displayed on one of the cockpit CRTs and HUD. The AAS-38 FLIR can be fully integrated with other Hornet avionics, and data from the unit is used for the calculation of weapons release solutions. Only four of these were available during the Gulf War, seeing service with VMFA (AW)-121. The improved AAS-38A Laser Target Designator/Rangefinder (LTD/R) was cleared for Fleet service on Hornet-C/Ds in January 1993. The Martin-Marietta ASQ-173 Laser Detector Tracker/CAMera (LDT/CAM), a derivative of the Air Force Pave Penny pod, does not have the ability to laser designate targets. It is a passive tracking device that detects laser light reflected from targets illuminated by ground troops, other aircraft or the Hornet's own AAS-38 targeting FLIR on the other side of the fuselage. The ASQ-173 relays target location information to the cockpit displays and mission computers. The AAS-38 pod came in two varieties: The AAS-38 (non LASER Designator/TV FLIR only) AAS-38A LASER Target Designator/Ranger (LTD/R). The LASER Spot Tracker (LST) capability came from the use of the ASQ-173 pod. The AAS-38A and ASQ-173 pods are meant to be used together to be able to Designate for Laser Guided Weapons (Example: GBU-12) and "see" another source's LASER designator (LST capability of the ASQ-173 pod. The AN/AAS-38A is commonly referred to by the US Navy as TFLIR or Targeting FLIR. The AAS-38 pod system, as of May 2008, is being phased out and replaced by the ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod. This will be a sequential replacement as the ATFLIR pods become available. The introduction of the ATFLIR is seen as a significant capability increase in all Hornet US Navy fleet aircraft.

References

External links

Federation of American Scientists' page
{{DEFAULTSORT:AN AAS-38 Military electronics of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1990s Night flying Targeting pods