The objective of the infrared search and track (IRST) demonstrator program is to develop demonstration hardware which will be capable of long range detection and tracking of air targets in an airborne environment. This paper describes each of the major subsystems of the IRST equipment, which comprises the pointing system, the thermal imaging system and the signal processing system. The various modes of operation are described which provide the capability to search for, detect and track multiple targets; to display imagery of a selected target and to provide passive ranging information. The equipment will be flown in an experimental Tornado aircraft and the installation and proposed trials are also described. In conclusion, the future capability of the hardware is outlined and several upgrade paths identified.

Date Published: 1 October 1993
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 1950, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing VII, (1 October 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.156614

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1950:
Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing VII
Michael K. Masten; Larry A. Stockum, Editor(s)