The ''Optronique secteur frontal'' (OSF) is a long range

optoelectronics Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiat ...

system developed for the French

Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range ...

combat aircraft A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equi ...

. With its narrow field, the visible waveband capability is truly valuable to identify targets in situations where visual contact is required by the

rules of engagement Rules of engagement (ROE) are the internal rules or directives afforded military forces (including individuals) that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as pro ...

. It allows target tracking, through IR ( infra-red search) and visual sensors: * on the left, the main IR detector can be used as

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 ...

(to send a video signal to the pilot), or to detect: ** air targets at ranges up to 100 kilometers ** surface or sea targets at up to 6 kilometers * on the right a TV/IR sensor for target identification (40 km range) including laser rangefinder. The benefits in air-air confrontation are: * passive long-distance detection * target identification before engagement

References

Military sensor technology {{mil-aviation-stub