AH-64A: Hellfire target designation?

[Hunt3r.j2]

I'm wondering if anyone knows how the AH-64A designates a target from itself. No, I'm not asking how the Hellfire finds the way, I'm asking how the AH-64A CP/G can lock up, say, tanks, or just a patch of ground.

[AlphaOneSix]

There is an Image Auto Tracker that locks onto contrasting shapes, but most of the time, targets are tracked manually. The right trigger on the CPG's handgrips is the laser trigger. The first detent shoots a quick squirt for ranging, and holding the trigger at its second detent keeps the laser firing for missile tracking or continuously updated ranging.

[Hunt3r.j2]

So wouldn't it make sense to lock onto tanks, so you could fire it off without worrying about keeping it steady, and instead, scanning around?

[AlphaOneSix]

Sure, the Image Auto Tracker is pretty good in most cases at locking onto vehicles, and that's the preferred method. In more recent history, the typical targets are buildings and individuals, which are much more difficult for the Image Auto Tracker to lock onto, which is why in pretty much all videos out of Iraq and Afghanistan these days, the targets are tracked manually. Don't forget that the TADS is ground stabilized so that it will generally point at the same spot on the ground regardless of what the helicopter is doing, so only minor adjustments are required if not using the auto tracker.