AN/AAQ-13 Navigation Pod for the F-16!

[WHOGX5]

 

 

 

For those of you who don't know, LANTIRN stands for 'Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night', and it consists of the AN/AAQ-13 Navigation Pod and AN-AAQ-14 Targeting Pod. It gives aircraft like the F-16C and F-15E the capability to conduct night time nap-of-the-earth strike missions. The F-14 uses a modified AN/AAQ-14 but doesn't use the AN/AAQ-13 at all which diminishes a lot of the advantages of the LANTIRN system. More on this to come!

 

 

The LANTIRN system consists of two separate pods:

 

First up is the AN/AAQ-13 Navigation Pod which contains two separate systems. First the FLIR which gives the pilot a wide field-of-view thermal image that he can display on both his MFD's and his HUD. In addition to a regular night vision system the FLIR gives its pilot the ability not only to operate at night, but also to quickly acquire targets and a limited ability to see through smoke, clouds and fog. This capability was taken advantage of by the F-16C-40/42 with its wide-angle HUD.

 

 

The AN/AAQ-13 also contains a terrain following radar, or TFR, which is integrated into the flight control system. What this means is that you set which altitude you want to fly at, then choose between different profiles depending on if you want hard or soft corrections if something appears in your path, then different radar sweep intervals depending on how much radar emissions you want to send out, which also affects your terrain resolution. Without turning on the autopilot you will fly as usual only that the TFR will give you a HUD indicator of where you need to fly in order to maintain the desired altitude and it will also warn you of any obstacles. There is a selectable fly-up mode which will allow the flight computer to take over the controls from the pilot if a collision is imminent and establish a climb. There is also a fully automated autopilot mode where the TFR will control your aircraft without any pilot inputs at all while still following the terrain contours and avoiding collisions.

 

 

Last and least is the AN/AAQ-14. It's a targeting pod. It targets stuff. But the AN/AAQ-13 is awesome. So please consider it ED. If you want to make me really happy you can make a block 40/42 in addition to the 50/52, but I don't want to push my luck. :D

Edited January 5, 2019 by WHOGX5

[mvsgas]

I stop seen AN/AAQ-13 back in 2000. Not sure why. About the same time NVG became normal on night flights.

[WHOGX5]

I stop seen AN/AAQ-13 back in 2000. Not sure why. About the same time NVG became normal on night flights.

 

I think it might have something to do with the low flying Tornados and such during Desert Storm getting absolutely pummeled. I have some vague memory of a pilot saying it was safer to just go at very high altitude and engage your targets that way. But they still liked the AN/AAQ-13 for the ease with which they could acquire targets at night and through clouds and the likes since the image is thermal. That was before both NVGs and TGPs were commonplace in the F-16 fleet though so I don't know if NVGs and TGPs were as effective/more effective or if it was just cheaper and less maintenance for a similar capability.