An Infrared Search and Track (IRST) System known as the "Silent Stalker," finds targets by detecting engine heat and the heat created on an aircraft's surface by the friction of flying through the air. The system, developed by Lockheed-Martin, is the AN/AAS-42 IRST. The "Silent Stalker" is now in service fleet wide with the Navy F-14 Tomcat and has also undergone testing on the F-16 and F-15.

Unlike the MiG-29 IRST, the Silent Stalker system operates in the 8-12 micron, or longwave, region of the spectrum. As a result, it is not dependent only on engine heat as its detection source. This allows the fighter pilot to detect all targets, even those with stealth features, at much greater ranges than midwave IRST or current radar systems.

Testing of this longwave system begin in earnest in the early 1990s. During this time technical breakthroughs were realized and the Navy elected to procure three systems for demonstration on the F14. Eventually it was decided to outfit all F-14D aircraft in order to enhance the Fleet's outer-air battle capability against long range and low radar cross section threats such as standoff weapnos platforms and cruise missiles.

The obvious advantages to this system, which complements tactical radar systems, is vastly improved situational awareness while improving raid cell resolution. Furthermore, IRST enhances Survivability to enabling friendly fighters to operate covertly (passively) in either the Silent Mode or Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) modes. These modes are designed to eliminate or minimise friendly electronic radar emissions, thus limiting an enemies ability to detect and target friendly radars (especially with anti-radiation missiles).

Along with these advantages, Silent Stalker is inherently immune to Electronic Warfare. IR systems consistently give friendly fighters a First Look, First Shoot advantage using either Mid-Range or Short-Range Air-to-Air missiles. Analytic simulations forecast that a First Look, First Shoot opportunity using the LPI mode canimprove the Loss Exchange Ratio by 230% over non IRST equipped aircraft. An improvement of some 370% is gained against enemy fighters employing reduced radar cross section designs.

Although the F-14 is the first aircraft to utilize this system, tests on the F-16 and F-15 have been encouraging. When installed on the F-16, the An/AAS-42 longwave system will consistently outrange the MiG-29s midwave IR system, always giving the F-16 an all aspect, First Look, First Shoot advantage. Without the longwave IRST, enemy fighters enjoy a significant tactical advantage. When friendly fighters are forced to use their radars the enemy can then launch AMRS or other missiles undetected, against friendly emissions.

Moreover, the Theater Ballistic Missile (TBM) threat is a problem of such magnitude that it will require both defensive and offensive counter-air operations to neutralise it. The ideal defensive tactic is to destroy the TBM as soon as possible after lift-off while it is still over home territory. But for fighter aircraft to acccomplish this mission they must be equipped with a very high speed intercept missile with ranges in excess of 100 nm. Such missiles don't yet exist.

The Gulf War demonstrated that launch sites are very difficult to locate since they are easily decoyed or moved on short notice. To overcome this problem, fighter aircraft must have an onboard sensor which can both detect and track the TBM launch while computing from the missile track file the launch origin for an immediate counter attack. The AN/AAS-42 IRST can provide long range acquisition with sufficient cross-track accuracy to identify launch points. This sensor, when installed on aircraft such as the F-15, F-16 and F-18, will permit aircfews to rapidly detect and track a TBM launch and then prosecute an immediate follow-up attack.

If "Silent Stalker" equipped aircraft are also equipped with targetting systems such as LANTIRN or NITE Hawk, the IRST can cue such systems with cross-track and range information , further enhancing day, night and adverse weather attacks against launch sites.

Given the tactical needs of modern warfare where First Look, First Shoot capability is critical, and the increasing threat of TBMs, "Silent Stalker" is likely to find its way onto an expanding fleet of NATO aircraft.

Recently the Block 40 F16 with its LANTIRN package has performed very well in New Mexico under the Air National Guard. The role of the 150th TFS "Tacos" is Night Attack. In a wartime scenario the F-16s would likely carry GBU-10s and GBU-12s along with AGM-65D Mavericks. A new task, known as "Killer Scout," extends the all-weather capability of the F-16 to precissely navigate, acquire, identify and kill targets. An integrated INS/GPS with imbedded digital terrain (TERPROM) referencing allows the Killer Scout to not only know the aircraft's exact position but also to consistently roll-in on the target and have the aim-point within two to ten meters of the exact grid reference.

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