F/A-18C TGP, FLIR, and LST/SCAM pods

[MRaza]

So currently, if you look at the inventory of the AI F/A-18C Hornet, you can see that it is capable of carrying:

 

AN/ASQ-173 LST/SCAM on station 6

AN/AAQ-28 LITENING TGP on station 5 and

AN/AAS-38 FLIR pod on station 4

 

My question is, what is the difference between the TGP and FLIR pod?

 

And since the TGP has the ability to find laser spots on the ground (Laser Spot Search), is it even necessary to carry both the LST/SCAM pod and the TGP at the same time?

[near_blind]

So currently, if you look at the inventory of the AI F/A-18C Hornet, you can see that it is capable of carrying:

 

AN/ASQ-173 LST/SCAM on station 6

AN/AAQ-28 LITENING TGP on station 5 and

AN/AAS-38 FLIR pod on station 4

 

My question is, what is the difference between the TGP and FLIR pod?

 

And since the TGP has the ability to find laser spots on the ground (Laser Spot Search), is it even necessary to carry both the LST/SCAM pod and the TGP at the same time?

 

The AN/ASQ-173 is a dedicated LST device, and is a derivative of the Pave Penny found on the A-10 and A-7. The device enabled the F/A-18 to locate targets marked by either a ground based FAC, or other aircraft.

 

Bare in mind this was before the widespread proliferation of targeting pods on aircraft, so finding targets was more difficult. LSTs were all the rage on attack aircraft (Note the Pave Penny, the ARBS on Marine aircraft, etc.) because it offered a relatively unambiguous way for a FAC to provide the exact location of a target to the pilot.

 

The AN/AAS-38 Nite Hawk was developed to allow the F/A-18 to effectively identify and attack targets at night. The original version did not have self lasing capabilities, and saw limited use in the first Gulf War. The upgraded AN/AAS-38A introduced a laser targeting device (LTD), allowing the Hornet to self lase and autonomously employ laser guided bombs. The Nite Hawks LST was less capable than that of the ASQ-173, so it was not unheard of to see aircraft operating both pods simultaneously.

 

 

Not in game (yet) is the AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR, which is the pod that replaced the Nite Hawk in Navy service beginning sometime in the 2000s. This is the current fleet standard, and is what we should see on our F/A-18. The ATFLIR's LST is also capable enough as to eliminate the need for the separate pod.

 

The LITENING is used solely by land based Marine squadrons. The LITENING was acquired to simplify logistics as it is also used by the AV-8B Harrier. When deployed on a carrier in support of Navy commitments, a Marine squadron will use ATFLIRs instead.