Description
Laser Range Finder and Designator Market
Frequently Asked Questions of LRFD Market
The number and variety of laser-assisted threats on today’s battlefield have grown tremendously during the last decade. These systems employ a laser to boost the likelihood of a weapon hitting and killing its target. These lasers are classified into three types: Laser Range Finders (LRF), Laser Target Designators (LTD), and Beam rider Missiles (LBR).
At tactical ranges, lasers emit light beams that can be controlled and focused to a width of less than a meter (2-3 km). These beams can be made to turn on and off in fractions of a second. This enables the coding of the beams. Lasers are helpful as a target marker or designator due to their compact size and coded identification of the light spot. These lasers may guide homing missiles or shells, as well as close air support aircraft, to engage a target at vast distances. The quick switching operation also enables the laser light to be used to measure distances in land surveying equipment and rangefinders. Lasers are excellent range finders. In a few billionths of a second, the laser beam is turned on and off, producing a very brief pulse.
The pulse is sent to the target, which reflects some of the light. The round trip time of the pulse is measured by a timer inside the rangefinder. After then, time is transformed into a distance to the target. The pulses can be timed due to the quick switching of the beam on and off. Timing can be utilized to code the laser beam so that only the spot from that beam is detected by a sensing device. The accurate beam enables the formation of a very small light spot on a faraway target. A tiny detector can be put into an artillery shell, guided missile, or bomb, allowing it to lock on to a single coded light spot while ignoring all others.
Laser designators, like range finders, have become increasingly common as standard equipment in the world’s armed forces. Laser designators are primarily used to designate a target for a projectile, after which the laser is employed to assist the projectile in homing in on its intended target. Designators have several pulses and can be encoded to improve accuracy with their associated weapons. Typically, the technique is not used until the projectile is near to hitting the ground.
Major factors driving Laser Range Finder and Designator Market Growth
The increasing proliferation of laser-guided weapons will be one of the key market trends that will drive market growth. Armed forces are upgrading the laser targeting systems onboard ships, helicopters, and land vehicles to meet the requirements of new-age weapon systems.
Trends influencing the Laser-Range Finder Market Size
Lightweight laser designators are increasing in demand. Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinders are portable target locators with laser designation. The Target Locator Module and the Laser Designator Module are the main components. It has a thermal imager, day camera, laser designator spot imaging, electronic display, eye-safe laser rangefinder, digital magnetic compass, Selective Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module GPS (SAASM GPS), and digital export capability. This is one of the key market trends that will influence the growth of the market.
Laser-Range Designator Market Forecast & Dynamics
Increasing defense spending will drive the market for new procurement activities and upgrades to existing platforms with newer technologies and capabilities. The increase in defense spending will encourage the procurement of new laser range finders and designators for land forces and also for integration into unmanned platforms, ships, and aircraft. Procurement will also be driven by prevailing geo-political conditions in Europe and the Asia Pacific. The market forecast includes a comprehensive market analysis and market size. The market analysis includes regional market size, drivers, restraints, and opportunities. The regional analysis also includes country-wise market size.
Laser Range Finder and Designator Market Analysis for Recent Developments
Additional electro-optical targeting devices for the AH-64 Apache assault helicopter were required by US Army aviation experts. Their solution came from the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control section in Orlando, Fla. Officials from the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced a $95.8 million contract to Lockheed Martin for the Arrowhead Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system. M-TADS/PNVS equips Apache helicopter pilots with long-range, precision engagement and pilotage capabilities to achieve mission objectives and ensure flight safety at all times of day and night, in all weather conditions. The M-TADS/PNVS is divided into various subcomponents.
The targeting system, which includes day and night electro-optical sensors, is housed in the lower M-TADS turret. The Arrowhead targeting sensor suite incorporates forward-looking infrared (FLIR) parts of the TADS and PNVS to provide current technical and precision engagement, ensuring the Army’s Apache helicopters remain successful attack helicopters well into the future. The laser rangefinder designator in the system contains an eye-safe rangefinder as well as a day sensor electronics unit that replaces the laser transceiver unit and accompanying electronics in Apache’s historical day sensor assembly.
Raytheon Technologies Corp. RTX recently received a contract modification to provide support services for the Multi-Spectral Targeting System (“”MTS””) sensor class. The contract was awarded by the Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, AL. The contract, worth $13.4 million, includes engineering services to support the life-cycle sustainment of MTS class sensors and aims to obtain technical capability and resources to operate, maintain, repair, and upgrade units. Spare parts support, platform integration support, test equipment support and fielding, and software/firmware updates will also be provided. The contract value has increased from $12 million to $25.4 million as a result of the latest modification. The transaction-related work will be completed in San Diego, California, by January 10, 2024. Raytheon Intelligence & Space’s MTS sensor package combines electro-optical/infrared laser designation and laser illumination capabilities. The MTS sensor family provides detailed intelligence data from the visual and infrared spectrums to support US military, civilian, and allied missions around the world. MTS adds long-range surveillance, target acquisition, tracking, range finding, and laser designation to the Griffin missile and Paveway laser-guided bomb, as well as all tri-service and NATO laser-guided munitions, thanks to cutting-edge digital architecture. It also has multiple fields of view, electronic zoom, and multimode video tracking capabilities.
