The Thomson-CSF ATLIS II (Automatic Tracking and Laser Integration System) is a French
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
/
electro-optical targeting pod for
fighter bomber and
attack aircraft.
ATLIS was developed starting in
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
, entering service in
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
. It was developed for the French
Armée de l'Air, initially carried by
SEPECAT Jaguar and
Mirage 2000 aircraft.
ATLIS incorporates a
laser designator boresighted with a television camera. The pilot or weapon systems officer uses the crosshairs to mark a target, which can then be attacked with
laser-guided bomb
A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser guidance to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. First developed by the United States during the Vietnam War, laser-guided bombs quickly pro ...
s or other guided weapons from the designating aircraft or other, friendly forces. Because it is designed for use by single-seat aircraft, it has a novel automatic lock-on feature, which keeps the laser focused on the target without further operator intervention (using an
inertial guidance system, it can generally keep the laser on target even if the beam is temporarily interrupted by clouds).
ATLIS II is used by the
SEPECAT Jaguar,
Mirage F1,
Mirage 2000,
Mirage 2000N, and some
Pakistani F-16s. It is compatible with various
U.S. and
French laser-guided bomb
A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser guidance to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. First developed by the United States during the Vietnam War, laser-guided bombs quickly pro ...
s, with the French Aerospatiale
AS-30L missile, and even with some Russian bombs and guided weapons.
In 1985, Pakistan Air Force selected ATLIS-II for its F-16 aircraft, making it the first non-European operator of this system. ATLIS-II pod is carried on the 5L intake station on the F-16. Over the years precision targeting using ATLIS has been a distinct phenomenon over-viewed regularly in PAF’ s operational exercises. In the recent PAF operations in Global War on Terrorism, ATLIS-II was extensively used for precision targeting.
The pod is limited in being primarily a daylight/clear-weather system. It was briefly replaced by the more capable Thomson-CSF
PDLCT ("Pod de Designation Laser a Camera Thermique" / Laser Designation Pod with Infrared Camera") and then the
Thales Damocles, which has a
FLIR.
See also
*
Thomson-CSF
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlis Ii
Targeting pods
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s