warrior monk
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Earlier this year Rafael unveiled latest 5th generation Litening 5 reconnaissance and targeting at the Paris Airshow. Rafael claims that Litening 5 which employs a new sensor pack which utilizing an optional assembly and larger aperture tailored specifically for new sensors enabling strike aircraft to employ guided weapons from standoff range without relying on external supports.
While Litening 5 will become fully operational at the end of 2016 it will be offered to Current Air force operators who are currently operating older Litening targeting Pod for evaluations and India is among countries who will get to evaluate new targeting Pod.
Rafael Litening 5 targeting pod is currently be integrated on Airbus Defence & Space owned Eurofighter combat aircraft and likely will be offered later to all Operators of Eurofighter fighter jets.
Indian air force has been using Litening 3 Pods on Sukhoi-30KI, Mig-29, Mirage-2000, Jaguar and Indigenous developed LCA-Tejas and last year India placed order for 150 Litening G4 for its frontline fighter aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-29 and others.
Litening 5 maintains same dimensions and form which means new Pod can be integrated into different aircraft types among existing customers with ease and evaluation is part of product demonstration effort to make aware of the new products capabilities said sources close to idrw.org which doesn’t mean immediate orders .
Rafael dubs Litening 5 as intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance system which uses two FLIRS a Mid-wave infrared and Shortwave infrared which comes with color CCD HD-TV which vastly improves target recognition and separation of man made objects which are usually harder to spot .
http://idrw.org/rafaels-next-gen-li...ikely-to-be-offered-to-india-for-evaluations/