Boeing recently released a new photo showing an F-15 Advanced Eagle series fighter jet with an infrared search and track sensor (IRST) installed in front of the cockpit, a feature never seen before. Among the current active fighter jets in the US military, only the F-35 integrates IRST sensors into the airframe, while the A-10, F-16, F-15, F/A-18, and F-22 can only use pod-mounted IRST or electro-optical sensors.
Modern fighter jets possess strong electronic warfare capabilities, with evolving radar stealth capabilities. Therefore, in addition to increasingly using phased-array radars, fighter jets also rely on IRST sensors that do not emit radio signals. With evolving operational needs, IRST sensor performance continues to improve, integrating optical, infrared, and laser technologies, and even developing a distributed electro-optical aperture system (EODAS) distributed throughout the airframe, allowing pilots to obtain comprehensive electro-optical information in all directions without blind spots.
European fighter jets, including Russian, French, and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, mount IRST sensors above the nose of the aircraft, while Chinese fighter jets follow the Russian model. In contrast, the US military’s IRST sensors are installed below the nose or on weapon pylons. The question arises whether the US military will also move its IRST sensors to the top of the aircraft nose.
The current optical sensors used in the F-15 are mostly pod-mounted, but some export models of the F-15, such as the F-15SG in Singapore, F-15K in South Korea, F-15SA in Saudi Arabia, and F-15QA in Qatar, have a unique IRST called “Tiger’s Eye” installed below the intake of the aircraft. The “Tiger’s Eye” is derived from the AN/AAS-42 installed on the F-14D Tomcat fighter, utilizing the core sensor of Lockheed Martin’s Legion electro-optical pod.
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