Improvements to reconnaissance pods on fighter jets and other aircraft are generating more intelligence that can be quickly analyzed and acted upon.
Without the ability to conduct their own intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), today’s nation-states risk being tactically (if not strategically) tactical (if not strategic) by other states that are ready to act aggressively and increasingly beyond the rules-based order risk of exploitation. China’s illegal entry into the South China Sea through its island-building tactics has largely caught its opponents off guard.
As the financial entry point for launching and operating satellites begins to decline, more states will be able to acquire satellite ISRs and imagery from space. They can even pay a third-party country to provide them with some of the images they might need – although that’s unlikely to include everything they need 24/7.
Another option is for countries to have their own dedicated ISR capabilities that can be attached to military aircraft. However, the quality of the images produced, the range at which they can be obtained, and the ability to transmit the images back to the ground station and analyze them in a fast and efficient manner are all factors that must be considered.
The range of these types of ISR pods includes Rafael’s RecceLite XR multispectral system, Thales Eros (airborne Recce observation system) for the Dassault Rafale, and Talios that combines targeting and reconnaissance, and the new MS-110 from Collins , the successor to its popular DB-110.
Dean Baxevanis, director of business development at Collins Aerospace, said the challenge in conducting reconnaissance and intelligence gathering in the Asia-Pacific region is “the limitation of distance.” Working with the International Airborne Programs business, Baxevanis specifically explained to potential customers the benefits of the MS-110, a next-generation airborne reconnaissance system. This is a multispectral imaging pod that inherits from the company’s very successful DB-110 dual-band pod. However, the image quality produced by the MS-110 is sharper and more detailed.
Collins’ DB-110 dual-band airborne reconnaissance sensor provides a mix of black and white and electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) imaging for day and night operations, while the latest MS-110 is the next generation about providing multispectral imagery. Collins defines it as “sensor data collected simultaneously from three or more spectral regions or bands. The same scene is imaged in all spectral bands, each spectral image is assigned a display color and superimposed to form a multispectral composite image.”
Baxevanis explains further: “Multispectral images allow you to see contrasts between materials, such as through a camouflaged item. You can quickly see the color contrast between target sets, whereas with dual-band grayscale it would take longer time to identify and analyze.”
Like the DB-110, the data collected by the MS-110 is transmitted to a ground station when the aircraft is within line of sight. If operated remotely, the images will be stored onboard the aircraft using a high-speed solid-state recorder. The transmission begins as soon as the aircraft is back in line of sight. Permanent or temporary ground stations may be used if ground forces need the collected intelligence. So far, naval ships have not been used as ground stations, but it is possible.
Traditionally, the DB-110 has been operated by fast jets such as Boeing’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15 Eagle and F-/A18 Hornet, as well as other platforms such as Saab’s Gripen. However, it can also be installed on transport and patrol aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin C-130 and other maritime patrol aircraft, as well as certain classes of unmanned aerial vehicles such as the General Atomics MQ-9. “Compared to fast jets, maritime patrol aircraft provide longer dwell times in the operational area of interest,” Baxevanis said. “Customers in the Asia-Pacific region are very interested in the maritime mission set. We have long-range coverage, so in peacetime operations you can operate in international airspace and still be able to gather intelligence from areas of interest that short-range systems cannot Do it. The range is over 80 nautical miles, but I can’t give specific numbers beyond that,” he said.
While more detail is generated as data is added, the analysis can be significantly aided at the ground station using the SCI-Toolkit (SCI stands for Simplified Complex Information). As Braxevanis puts it: “You’re not overloading the operator with more intelligence, you’re capturing and presenting it through advanced processing at the ground station, helping operators and combat commanders make faster decisions and higher Integrity.”
Another free system from Collins is the TacSAR pod, which integrates the DB-110 with Leonardo’s Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). This combination provides a range of useful features including: high-resolution SAR point viewing and wide-view mapping, as well as ground moving target indicators. “This AESA radar version of the pod allows the MS/DB-110 to take another layer and add more nuance to the intelligence picture,” Baxevanis said.
MS/DB-110 are end-to-end systems. They use aircraft power and can be integrated with other airborne systems such as SIGINT and ELINT, as well as synthetic aperture radar. “Not only do we sell pods that contain cameras and data links, but we also sell ground stations, mission planning equipment, and ground maintenance and testing equipment,” Baxevanis said. “There are different levels of maintenance concepts – we do as much domestically as we can, and each country has its own concept of operations. Is this the first time they have flown reconnaissance pods, or are they using them to replace old ones they already have Stuff. Every client is different.”
Closely
Counterinsurgency warfare characterized most of the 2000s and was replaced by a return to point-to-point strategic positioning. It is characterized by the desire of China and Russia to expand their respective borders (Taiwan, South and East China Seas and other waters for China; Crimea and most recently Ukraine for Russia). The United States, NATO, and their “allies and partners” (a term now often used for countries that support either or both entities) are seeking to prevent aggressive action to achieve this goal.
While individual countries may not have defense budgets, ISR is something most countries can do with their disposable assets. “We are seeing a global resurgence of reconnaissance pods,” commented Baxevanis. “The MS-110 has been on the market for several years, and the first direct commercial sales (DCS) customer has now reached a point of maturity for delivery.”
Although sales of MS-110 are controlled by the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Collins works with the US government on a case-by-case basis to allow DCS or Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
“We have a solution called Indefinite Delivery/Unlimited Quantity (IDIQ) contracts, which sets pricing so that when a country asks for a product, the pricing is already set. It’s a great mechanism to shorten acquisition time . We have already received our first IDIQ award and our second MS-110 customer, which is currently in progress. We can now see building demand,” Braxevanis confirmed.
by Andrew Drwiega
