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CHARLOTTE: Goodrich Corporation's DB-110 reconnaissance pod has successfully completed flight testing as part of the F-16 Poland Peace Sky program. Testing was conducted recently at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. and Goodrich's third generation DB-110 met all criteria for aircraft operations, imagery collection, carriage and handling, and safety of flight.
The Goodrich DB-110 reconnaissance pod is carried on the F-16's centerline station and is controlled by the pilot using a cockpit Multifunction Display (MFD). The pilot has the ability to: collect imagery automatically via a pre- programmed mission plan; edit the plan; view imagery in the cockpit; and command the pod to collect targets of opportunity.
According to Tom Bergeron, General Manager and Vice-President of Goodrich's Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems business, “We are very pleased with the performance of our DB-110 during the F-16 flight tests. This success would not have been possible without the excellent working relationship between our team and Lockheed Martin's team of experts. The completion of the F-16 flight test program adds to the demonstrated performance the DB-110 system has achieved on other aircraft such as the Tornado, F-4, F-15 and P-3. A low-risk, proven solution such as ours is unique in the current marketplace.”
The Polish Air Force is acquiring 48 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52+ advanced multi-role fighters under the Peace Sky Foreign Military Sale program. Goodrich was selected by the Polish Air Force to supply seven DB-110 reconnaissance pods with fixed and mobile ground stations.
When delivered, the Peace Sky F-16 will be the most advanced fighter aircraft in NATO. The Goodrich DB-110 is already in service with NATO, being operated on the U.K. Royal Air Force Tornado aircraft in the RAPTOR pod (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado). Goodrich's new third generation DB- 110 pod is the most advanced reconnaissance system available for the F-16 aircraft. Providing three different fields-of-view in a single pod, the DB-110 system can be operated at low, medium and high altitudes by day and by night. This pod also incorporates the NATO Common Data Link system, allowing operators on the ground to receive imagery in real-time from the aircraft for immediate exploitation and analysis.
Goodrich Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a global supplier of systems and services to aerospace, defense and homeland security markets. With one of the most strategically diversified portfolios of products in the industry, Goodrich serves a global customer base with significant worldwide manufacturing and service facilities.
