Sensor update brings “fifth-gen” capabilities into existing fleets.
Elbit Systems is offering to provide operators of legacy fighters such as the Lockheed Martin F-16 with an “F-35-like” situational awareness and self-protection capability, with the company showcasing its technology at the Farnborough show.
Named EO DAS (for electro-optical distributed aperture system), it “brings fifth-gen capabilities into the existing fleet”, says Shuki Carpassi, head of Gen 5/6 avionics solutions, business development and marketing. That also could include platforms like the Boeing F-15 and Eurofighter Typhoon, he adds.
An array of six sensors will be installed around the aircraft, with information relayed to a central computer with AI processing capabilities.
A new helmet-mounted system, developed in partnership with Collins Aerospace, will serve the pilot with real-time information driven by the 360° sensor coverage, including missile warning, plus alerts about the detection of uncrewed aerial vehicles.
Another option available from the company is to project EO-derived terrain-mapping data on the helmet-mounted display, further boosting survivability. “We are going to demonstrate that with the capabilities of EO DAS, beginning flights next year, we hope,” Carpassi says.
Elbit in January 2025 secured a roughly $80 million contract to provide a similar equipment package to boost the self-protection of the Israeli air force’s F-16I fleet.
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