INDIA HAS PROVISIONALLY selected Rafael's Litening laser-designator pod to equip its fleet of Dassault Mirage 2000 and Sepecat Jaguar combat aircraft.
The pod was chosen in preference to the Thomson-CSF Common Laser Designator Pod (CLDP) and the GEC-Marconi Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designator (TIALD) pods.
The Indian defence ministry's initial selection criteria were primarily based on cost, according to industry sources involved in the competition. The Litening offer was considerably cheaper than the other bids.
Following the selection, which has yet to be officially announced, the Litening pod will be integrated and test flown on either an Indian air force Jaguar or Mirage 2000.
If the integration and test phase is successfully completed, sources say that the air force will then proceed with the procurement of an as-yet-unspecified number of Litening pods.
Rafael is believed to be in the final stages of developing the system. The Israel air force has received pre-production pods, with the air force fitting the laser designator to the Lockheed Martin F-16. Germany has also selected the Litening system for its Panavia Tornados.
The Litening, like the TIALD, has a dual sensor-head design with television and a thermal-imaging sensor. The CLDP pod, although offering both seeker options, requires that one be selected and fitted to the pod body.
Source: Flight International
