The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) recently awarded a contract for the manufacture and delivery of 90 Litening V laser target illuminators from manufacturer Rafael, along with the associated documentation and training. The budget committee of the German Bundestag approved the award of the contract in June. Budget funds of around 350 million euros were approved.
The contract was signed without a tender, as there are no technical analogs on the market – Rafael is the only manufacturer that can supply such systems.
Details of the Litening V container
The Litening target illumination containers from Israeli manufacturer Rafael are already in use by 28 air forces worldwide. In total, more than 2,000 units have been produced, delivered and tested in operation for over 2.2 million hours.
The current Litening V generation has short and medium wave infrared sensors, a high-resolution daylight color camera, the ability to illuminate targets using lasers in two wavelengths and can optionally be equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).
The container enables the crew of fighter aircraft to optically detect, automatically track and identify targets on the ground and in the air at long distances. The sensor image is shown to the pilot on one of the multifunction displays in the cockpit. It is also possible to transmit the image to other users via a data link in several frequency bands. The device can operate automatically or be controlled manually if required.
Together with the on-board radar of the fighter aircraft, the Litening V container provides the capability for multispectral analysis of contacts at distances of over 100 kilometers.
Austria also gets the Litening V
The German order is also important for Austria. The Austrian Armed Forces has already ordered nine Litening Vs for its Eurofighters. Instead of just 15 aircraft, the integration will now be carried out for a significantly larger fleet. Both the German Air Force as well as the German Armed Forces benefit from this economy of scale.
The advanced capabilities of the container are particularly important for the air surveillance of the Austrian Armed Forces in the context of air-to-air missions. In addition to optical target identification by day and night at long distances, the air situation picture is also improved by the detection of threats with a low radar cross-section.
It is too late for further Eurofighter updates
Contrary to the original plans, there will be no further updates for the 15 Austrian Eurofighters apart from the Litening V container. In particular, an all-weather capable medium-range air-to-air missile was planned. However, the currently very long delivery times for guided missiles are creating facts here – air forces around the world are increasing their stocks of guided missiles, leaving hardly any options open for Austria.
Achieving operational capability would therefore coincide with the end of Eurofighter operations. The same applies to a self-protection system developed by Airbus would have to be scaled down to the IT capacities of Eurofighter Tranche 1. In both cases, the scarce resources can be better used for national defense.
One such priority is the advanced jet trainer M-346FA, whose procurement is being pursued by the department with great urgency. It is to be put into service with the Austrian Armed Forces fully equipped without any cutbacks. The M-346FA will also be able to carry the Litening V container.
The jet trainer is intended to significantly improve the quantity and quality of training for Austrian Armed Forces pilots. The aim is to put the Austrian Armed Forces in a position to carry out the transition to a Eurofighter successor in the first half of the 2030s.
Click here for more reports on the Bundeswehr.
