Reconnaissance tank

Reconnaissance tank on a US military aircraft

A reconnaissance container is a sensor that is externally attached to an aircraft in an aerodynamic fairing. This additional equipment makes it possible to use an appropriately prepared aircraft in the reconnaissance role .

construction

A reconnaissance vessel consists of several assemblies . The housing ( Engl. Pod ) serves as the aerodynamic fairing and as protection against external influences such as weather or dust. The payload ( Engl. Payload ) consists of the sensor equipment and components that are necessary for their operation. These include, for example, air conditioning systems and devices for power supply, data storage , processing and communication .

Earlier systems used wet films to record the reconnaissance results , which were evaluated by specially trained personnel after the flight. Due to the increased use of more powerful electronic sensors, there is now increasingly the possibility of digital storage and an initial inspection in flight or data transmission to a ground station by radio.

A reconnaissance tank is usually attached to standard external load carriers under the fuselage, rarely under the wings. Elements for operating the sensors are required in the aircraft.

Sensors

Italian tornado with Reccelite reconnaissance tank

For imaging reconnaissance , the sensor equipment is compiled or the sensor selected, taking into account the required reconnaissance result (image from the side / vertical /…), the visibility / light conditions (weather / day / night) and the tactical situation.

The following table lists common names for sensors that - in some cases together - are installed in reconnaissance containers. Your viewing direction is determined by the type of installation or flexible when using a swiveling suspension.

sensor	Direction of view	all weather capable	day and night	comment
optically	forward / vertical / sideways	-	-	various focal lengths currently sensor with the greatest resolution
electro-optical (visible light)	forwards / vertically / steeply sideways	-	-	-
electro-optical ( infrared )	vertical / steep forwards / sideways	x	x	-
radar	sideways	x	x	artificial imaging ( Synthetic Aperture Radar ) Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR)
SIGINT	not applicable	x	x	Electronic reconnaissance (ELINT)

Examples

Manufacturer	designation	Sensor (s)	Aircraft	comment
BAE Systems	GP-1	optical / IR: 4 Vinten F95 Mk 10 cameras (2 × 3 "and 2 × 1.5" lenses) 2 Vinten F95 Mk 10 cameras and one F126 camera (6 "lens) Vinten F95 Mk 7 camera (6 "lens) BAE 401 IR line scanner	SEPECAT Jaguar	-
Vinten (today: THALES Optronics)	Vicon 18	EO	Harrier Atlas Cheetah SEPECAT Jaguar	-
EMI Electronics Ltd.	-	optical / EO / SLAR	F-4M Phantom II	-
EMI Electronics Ltd.	Jaguar EMI Recce Pod	optical / EO	SEPECAT Jaguar	-
THALES	DJRP (Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod)	EO	Harrier Panavia Tornado GR.4	Further development of the Vicon 18 Series 601 EO / IR pod
Saab AB	SPK39	RADAR	Saab 39 Gripen	SLAR
Terma (formerly Per Udsen)	MRP (Modular Reconnaissance Pod)	EO / IR: for low heights: 75 mm and 150 mm Vinten 8010 EO sensor for medium heights: 75 mm and 450 mm Vinten 8042 EO sensor 75mm Vinten 80100 Vinten 8220 Vigil IR line scanner	F-16 Saab 39 Gripen	-
EADS	Recce pod	optical / IR: 1 Zeiss KS153A Trilens 1 Zeiss KS153A tri or pentalens IR line scanner	Panavia tornado	-
EADS	Telelens Pod	optical / IR: 1 Zeiss KS153A Telelens 1 Zeiss KS153A tri or pentalens IR line scanner	Panavia tornado	modified recce pod
Raytheon	SHARP (SHAred Reconnaissance Pod)	optical / EO / SLAR	F-18F Super Hornet	Installation in the modified weapon bay of a P-3 Orion possible
Elbit Systems Electro-optics - Elop Ltd. (ELOP)	Condor 2 EO / IR LOROP (EO / IR Long-Range Oblique Photography System)	EO / IR	F-16	-
Thomson -CSF	RAPHAEL-TH (RAdar de Photographie Aerienne ELectrique a Transmission Hertzienne)	RADAR	Mirage F1CR	SLAR
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.	EL / M-2060P	RADAR	F-16	Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI)
Goodrich Corporation	DB-110	EO	F-16D Tornado GR.4 (A) (RAF), RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod TORnado) F-111 (Austrian LuSK) P-3C Orion (Japanese naval forces)	-
Grumman Aerospace Corporation	TARPS (Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System)	optical / IR: CAI KS-87B forward / vertical looking camera KA-99 low-altitude panoramic camera AN / AAD-5 IR line scanner	F-14	-
Cupola	M400	EO / RADAR	SU-30MKK2 (Chinese LuSK)	SLAR
Oldelft	Orpheus	EO / IR line scanner	F-16A (R) (Dutch / Belgian LuSK), RF-104	-
-	MSK (Mörkerspaningskapsel)	IR (active): 3 serial cameras (SKa) 34-75 cameras	Saab Viggen	Use in conjunction with another pod for lighting with an IR flash
Förenade Fabriksverken (FFV)	Red Baron	IR 4 Vinten F95 cameras with 3 inch and 11 inch lenses for vertical and oblique recordings Texas Instruments RS-702 IR line scanner	F-16 Saab 35 Draken	-
Förenade Fabriksverken (FFV)	Blue Baron	IR (active): 3 Vinten 70mm cameras	Saab 35 Draken	Illumination by IR flash
BAE Systems	TARS (Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System)	EO	F-16C (ANG)	-
BAE Systems	ATARS (Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System)	EO / IR	F-18D Hornet	-
THALES	ASTAC (Analyzer de Signaux TACtiques) TACER (TACtical Electronic Reconnaissance) (Mitsubishi)	SIGINT	Mirage F1CR RF-4E (Japanese LuSK)	ELINT (radar)
THALES	Reco-NG (Reconnaissance, Nouvelle Generation)	EO / IR	Dassault Rafale Mirage 2000	-
Rafael	Reccelite	EO / IR	F-16 F / A-18 tornado	based on litening target illuminator
THALES	Presto reconnaissance pod	EO	Mirage 2000	-
?	Radar reconnaissance tank type R	optical (1 camera as reference system) / SIGINT / SLAR	MiG-21R	ELINT
?	Photo reconnaissance tank type D	optical (7 cameras) / (later: EO) / SIGINT	MiG-21R	ELINT
?	Night reconnaissance container type N	IR	MiG-21R	-
Elbit / Aerostar	ARP (Airborne Reconnaissance Pod)	EO	MiG-21 Lancer IAR-99	-

special cases

Target acquisition / target illuminator containers such as the Litening AT from Northrop Grumman can also be used in a second function for reconnaissance and surveillance.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jaguar on targetlock.org.uk; viewed on February 15, 2009 ( memento of March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ JRP on Janes.com; accessed on February 14, 2009
3. ↑ Description of the Tactical Imagery Intelligence Wing on the homepage of the Royal Air Force
4. ↑ http://www.terma.com/index.dsp?page=825 (link not available)
5. ↑ Recce-Pod on the EADS homepage; accessed on February 22, 2009
6. ↑ Description of the reconnaissance containers for the Tornado Recce on the Air Force homepage
7. ↑ F / A-18 on airforce-technology.com
8. ^ SHARP on the homepage of the Naval Research Laboratory ( Memento from January 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
9. ^ Condor 2 on the ELOP homepage; viewed on February 14, 2009 ( memento of March 29, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
10. ↑ EL / M-2060 on the manufacturer's homepage; accessed on February 14, 2009
11. ↑ DB-110 Deagel.com; accessed on February 14, 2009
12. ↑ Flight International, June 25 - July 1, 2002; (PDF, 332kB), engl.
13. ↑ TARPS on Globalsecurity.org; accessed on February 14, 2009
14. ↑ Names of cameras and reconnaissance systems on designation-systems.net; accessed on February 15, 2009
15. ↑ SF-37 on avrosys.nu (English); viewed on February 15, 2009 ( memento of November 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
16. ^ Irvine Cohen: "Swedish sensors" in: Flight International, October 23, 1975
17. ↑ TARS on the BAE Systems homepage; accessed on February 14, 2009
18. ↑ ATARS on the BAE Systems homepage; accessed on February 14, 2009
19. ↑ Mirage-F1 on FAS.org; accessed on February 14, 2009
20. ↑ ASTAC on Janes.com; accessed on February 14, 2009
21. ↑ Reco-NG on Janes
22. ↑ Reccelite-Pod on the homepage of the manufacturer
23. ^ Presto Recce pod on Janes.com
24. ↑ Litening AT on Defenseindustrydaily.com

Web links

• Reccelite use by the German Air Force