As a passive, long-range sensor system, IRST21 uses infrared search and track technology to detect and track airborne threats with weapon-quality accuracy, increasing pilot reaction time and improving survivability.

Lockheed Martin’s IRST21® sensor provides passive lethality, meaning it allows pilots to see opposition aircraft and target them without being seen. This is made possible by the sensor seeing the heat signature – or “skin” – of an aircraft, which ultimately increases pilot survivability.

2025年2月7日 · The system is part of a double use pod, with the IRST Block II sensor, also known as IRST21, housed in the front of the FPU-13/A fuel tank that is carried on the jet’s centerline. The FPU-13/A...

IRST21 is the next generation of Lockheed Martin’s legacy IRST sensor system, which accumulated over 300,000 flight hours on F-14 and international F-15 platforms.

2025年2月4日 · This latest version of the IRST21 system for the Navy significantly increases threat-detection range. On the Super Hornet, IRST21 is integrated in the front of the centerline fuel tank.

As a passive, long-range sensor system, IRST21 uses infrared search and track technology to detect and track airborne threats with weapon-quality accuracy, increasing pilot reaction time and improving survivability in radar-denied environments. Can be integrated on an aircraft through Legion Pod, in a fuel tank, in a pylon, or embedded.

2018年11月26日 · Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will complete development, platform integration, flight test, and qualification of the IRST21 ® Block II sensor system. These efforts will further enhance IRST21's proven detection, tracking and …

2017年10月19日 · The IRST21 sensor system uses infrared search and track technology to detect and track airborne threats. Compared to radar, IRST21 significantly enhances the resolution of multiple targets, enabling pilots to accurately identify threat formations at …

2025年2月5日 · This new system, named IRST21, is a long-wave infrared search-and-track sensor that allows for the passive detection of airborne threats at extended ranges, far surpassing visual capabilities.

The IRST21 is a long-wave infrared search and track (IRST) system that enables beyond-visual-range target detection without emitting active signals. This capability makes it a critical complement to the APG-79 AESA radar, enhancing the detection of low radar-signature threats and increasing the Super Hornet’s effectiveness in combat scenarios.