Leonardo Australia will supply the system for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) LAND 17 Phase 2 Digital Terminal Control System – Capability Assurance Program.
More than 800 Type 163 LTDs were delivered to 27 countries including the UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand, as well as NATO members such as Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and most recently Germany and Norway.
Leonardo Australia has signed an agreement with Collins Aerospace Australia to supply the Type 163 Laser Target Designator (LTD) to the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The order will be completed in the second quarter of 2022. This order follows the previous order from the ADF.
Developed by Leonardo engineers in Edinburgh, UK, the Type 163 Laser LTD is a lightweight, compact high-energy laser product for ground forces, offering an unmatched combination of high power, reliability and portability. The Model 163 Laser Targeting Designator is designed to meet all today’s Special and Conventional Forces Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) and Joint Fire Observer (JFO) mission requirements for accurate marking and terminal control of semi-active air-to-surface weapons at ranges up to 10 km.
The Model 163 LTD leverages Leonardo’s experience in delivering high-energy targeting lasers to aircraft such as the F-35 and Apache helicopters, where space, weight and power are at a premium. This means that the final product offers market-leading laser designation and ranging capabilities in a compact package weighing only 2.3 kg. This product produces a high-energy laser with a narrow beam divergence, and its feature set was developed primarily for JTAC and JFO missions, including immediate firing from power-on and continuous laser firing capabilities.
The system is battle-proven and has now been delivered to 27 international customers including the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand, as well as Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and most recently Germany and Norway.
Leonardo is the global leader in the high-energy military laser market, accounting for more than 60% of all airborne laser sales worldwide. The company’s product portfolio includes lasers for the Lockheed Martin Sniper pod, Northrop Grumman Litening pod, and laser spot trackers for platforms including Tiger helicopters. Leonardo is also a member of the UK’s Dragonfire Alliance, which is developing a laser directed energy weapon with the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). As a founding member of Tempest, an international program to create the next generation of combat air systems, Leonardo is currently developing advanced laser-based capabilities as part of the new system’s Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects (ISANKE) system.
