Maenun targeting pod
The Maenun Infrared Imaging and Target Designation System (Menghean: 매눈 적외선 화상 표적 지시기 / 매눈赤外線畵像標的指示器, Maenun jŏgoesŏn hwasang pyojŏk jisigi) is a targeting pod developed in Menghe for use on fixed-wing military aircraft. Designed by Samsan, it entered service in 2008 and is today widely used by the Menghean armed forces and the armed forces of Menghe's allies.
Development
In the 1990s, Menghe purchased a number of PDL-CT and ATLIS-II targeting pods from Sieuxerr, using them to modernize and equip an aging fighter fleet. Both systems were well-received by pilots accustomed to using domestically manufactured Letnian gear, and they greatly improved the air-to-ground capabilities of the DS-5 fighter.
By the early 2000s, both PDL-CT and ATLIS-II were growing obsolete, outpaced by rapid improvements in electronics. Menghe's Ministry of National Defense launched a domestic program to design a replacement, and accelerated the deadlines when Menghe's relations with Sieuxerr deteriorated after the Ummayan Civil War.
Samsan Defense, a special subsidiary of the Samsan Group, won the contract with its pod design in 2007, and the following year the system was adopted for mass production under the designation Maenun or "Eagle Eye." The overall design is domestic, though some internal components are manufactured or licensed from Dayashina.
Description
The Maenun targeting pod features a long-range eye-safe laser designator, a forward-looking infrared aperture, and a high-resolution optical imaging camera, all rolled together into a freely rotating "head" module. This can pivot to point in any direction outside a 45-degree cone around the rear section, giving the pod a limited ability to track and designate targets behind the plane. The "body" of the pod contains its supporting electronics, datalink antenna, and power supply, as well as a cooling system fed by an intake on the left-hand side. The entire system can be mounted on an under-wing or under-fuselage hardpoint.
Maenun has five targeting modes, and the operator can easily switch between them using HOTAS controls.
Single target track
In this mode, Maenun automatically acquires an IR-contrast target and tracks it mechanically, keeping it in the center of its field of view. When the co-axial laser is activated, it designates the target for laser-guided missiles. If the target does not have a high IR contrast, the operator can place the crosshairs over a point of interest and Maenun will continue to point at that location as the platform moves.
Maenun can also use bearing, range, and data from the plane's navigation computer to generate CSNS (Constellation Satellite Navigation System) coordinates for the point it is tracking. These coordinates can be fed directly to onboard CSNS-guided munitions or used to generate an inertial firing solution. Alternatively, they can be matched with reconnaissance images and footage to provide coordinates for later missions.
Area track
In area-track mode, Maenun mechanically tracks a point set by the operator but digitally identifies and tracks all IR-contrast signatures inside it. This data can be cross-referenced with doppler returns from the aircraft's radar to eliminate false positives. The operator can manually select up to eight of these as targets of interest, and they will be marked with a target track icon for as long as they remain in the sensor's field of view. Tracked ground target icons appear on the LED display, the head-up display, and the pilot's [[Keikō HMD|helmet-mounted display}}.
Though Maenun can only laser-designate one target at a time, it can assign a different high-contrast target to up to eight onboard fire-and-forget munitions, for multiple launches in quick succession against grouped targets. Maenun cannot datalink passive firing solutions from one plane to another's weapons, but it can generate CSNS coordinates for the target area and link those.
Reconnaissance mode
In the reconnaissance mode, the Maenun pod can either digitally store high-quality images and footage or provide live updates to a receiving datalink, such as a ground-based headquarters or a nearby aircraft. Its performance is superior to previous Menghean reconnaissance camera pods, and it leaves the central hardpoint free for a drop tank or air-to-ground munition.
All footage from the Maenun pod, in all modes, is automatically recorded throughout the flight, to support training, kill confirmation, and post-mission debriefing.
In navigation assist mode, Maenun's camera module rotates to a fixed, forward-facing position with a slightly depressed angle and the widest zoom setting. Footage from the IIR camera can be fed to either the head-up display or the LED screen, in either case helping the pilot see terrain ahead when conducting low-level flights at night or in poor weather. Most Menghean fighters, such as the DS-5M, DS-9, and SR-8 have an IRST sensor above the nose with this capability, but the Maenun's under-fuselage location gives a better field of view, and can make up for this capability on aircraft with no integral IRST.
Air target track
In this mode, Maenun scans the area ahead for an aircraft-like infrared signature. On early models this was purely based on level of heat reflected, but in 2018 a new LRU update added an artificial intelligence program to better identify target types.
When paired with the IRST sensor above the nose, this function gives the fighter a wider field of view ahead, eliminating low-level blind spots. When assigned a single target to track, Maenun can even maintain its lock by rotating through its full pointing range, helping the pilot maintain contact with a target which passed underneath the cockpit. The latter function is especially useful when paired with high-off-boresight missiles like the YGG-5 Dando and a helmet-mounted display like Keikō.
Specifications
| Maenun Infrared Imaging and Target Designation System | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass | 210 kg | ||||
| Length | 231 cm | ||||
| Body length | 182 cm | ||||
| Body diameter | 35 cm | ||||
| Laser designation range | 18 km | ||||
| Range to identify a tank-sized target | 30 km | ||||
| Range to identify a fighter-sized target | 20-40 km | ||||
