WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio – U.S. Air Force air combat experts are asking electro-optics engineers at the Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to design and build six additional infrared search and track (IRST) sensors for the F-15C Eagle jet fighter to enable the aircraft to detect, track, and attack enemy aircraft in a stealthy way without making its presence known.
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a potential $40 million order Monday to the Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis to integrate six IRST Block II systems for The single-seat F-15C jet fighter.
The F-15C's IRST is a long-wave infrared detection system that targets aircraft in a
radar-denied environment. The system, which Boeing is buying from the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., uses infrared search and track technology to detect and provide weapon-quality track solutions on potentially hostile aircraft.
For the F-15C, Lockheed Martin is providing the company's Legion Pod sensor system, which consists of a passive longwave infrared receiver, a processor, inertial measurement unit, and environmental control unit. The infrared receiver, processor, and inertial measurement unit fit inside the sensor pod, which attaches to a weapons station underneath the aircraft.