Recently, oneJ-16 fighterIt has aroused heated discussions among the majority of military fans. This oneFightersA mysterious object is mounted on the belly of the aircraft, which looks a little different, both like a pod and a pylon. That's what people say".Falcon-ii Forward-Sighting Infrared Pod". The pod has a special design in that it has two functions: night and complex weather navigation and the loading of other equipment. The pod was installed inside the square glass windowInfrared sensor, the ability to project infrared topographic maps directly onto the aircraft's display or heads-up display at night or on foggy daysPilotsIt will not hit the mountain at night or under complex meteorological conditions, which effectively improves the safety of the flight. In addition, since the J-16 fighters are already equipped with an active phased arrayRadar, to be able to monitor the sky and the ground at the same time, soFalcon-ii pods no longer need to be installed with terrain trackingRadar, so the size is very small, and it can also be used as an adapter beam under the pylon, directly mounting other equipment, which is for those with fewer hanging pointsFightersIt's very practical.
with the famous American "Blue Shield"system compared to,FalconThe -ii pod has a certain lead. in".Blue Shield"The ans of the systemAAQ-13 navigation podalso requires a terrain tracker to be installedRadar, whileFalcon-ii pods are not required. This is because of ".Blue Shield"The system was equipped with troops back in 1987, when in addition to specialized attack aircraft,U.S. militaryAllFightersofRadarNone of them have terrain tracking. , whileJ-16 fighterAs soon as it came up, it was equipped with an advanced active phased arrayRadar, capable of monitoring both the sky and the ground while flying at ultra-low altitudes, so there is no need for additional terrain trackingRadar。In addition,Falcon-ii pods also have the ability to mount other equipment, which is similar to ".Blue Shield"The system is more flexible and practical than the design that takes up two pylons.
In the course of the development of the Chinese Air Force,Navigation podsIt is an important piece of equipment. Gulf WarWhen it was over, China realizedNavigation podsbegan to carry out related technical research, and finally developed the "blue sky" system. ThisNavigation podsIn terms of shape and design ideasU.S. militaryofAAQ-13 navigation podHighly similar, consisting of a set of front sightsInfrared sensor, a small terrain trackerRadarand the corresponding processing equipment. It is said that the "Blue Sky" system at that time had reached the level of similar foreign products. However, since the focus of the Chinese Air Force at that time was on air defense missions, ground attack capabilities were not the main consideration, plusNavigation podsThe cost is high, and the Chinese Air Force is not equipped with this system. UntilJ-16 fighterAfter entering service, the Chinese Air Force began to equip it with a better mounting platform and economic conditionsNavigation pods。At the moment, Chinese fighters have caught upU.S. militaryA large number of new generation navigation and aiming two-in-one "littenin" pods are used.
With the development of fourth-generation aircraft,Navigation podsIt is gradually being replaced by optoelectronic distributed aperture systems (EODAS). For example, the F-35FightersThe EODAS system has a full range ofInfrared sensor, can providePilots360 degrees without dead endsHolographicImage, to achieve search, indication, missile warning, lethal effect evaluation, auxiliary day and night navigation, take-off and landing collision avoidance and other functions. The F-35's EOTS system integrates infrared, optical and laser irradiation modes, with high-resolution imaging, automatic tracking, infrared search and tracking, laser indication, ranging and laser point tracking, etc., and is directly installed inside the nose, which is more efficient than the external aiming pod. Similarly, the Chinese oneJ-20 combatA similar optoelectronic distributed aperture system is also used.
To sum up, China's fighter navigation system has undergone a process fromNavigation podsto the development of optoelectronic systems, and in some respects ahead of similar foreign products. With the continuous progress of technology, the optoelectronic system of future fighters will be further developed, and how to take the lead in innovation ability is an important challenge faced by medium and first-class workers.