1. PIRATE
www.thalesgroup.com
| Passive, long range surveillance
| Multi-mode operation, tracking and
imaging
| Automatically detects and tracks
multiple targets
| Low false alarm rate
| Low cost of ownership
PIRATE
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multiple targets
| Low false alarm rate
| Low cost of ownership
Passive Infra-Red Airborne Track Equipment

2. PIRATE
Passive Infra-Red Aiborne Track Equipment
Thales
Land & Joint Systems
1 Linthouse Road, Glasgow G51 4BZ
Tel: +44 (0)141 440 4000 Fax: +44 (0)141 440 4001
Pirate Status
| IRST flight testing campaign
in progress
| Productionisation Contract in
progress
Thales Land & Joint Systems is playing a key role in
the development of the infra-red search and track
(IRST) system, known as PIRATE, for the Eurofighter
Typhoon aircraft.
The company is a member of the EUROFIRST
consortium which was awarded a contract for
the IRST equipment following an international
competition. EUROFIRST comprises Galileo Avionica
of Italy (lead contractor), THALES Land & Joint
Systems of the UK (system technical authority), and
TECNOBIT of Spain.
Role
PIRATE represents a major advance in avionics
and gives Eurofighter Typhoon substantial tactical
advantages in air intercept and air-ground
operations. PIRATE operates in several modes
including air-to-air and air-to-ground surveillance.
It provides -
| Very long range passive air-to-air capability.
| Automatic detection and multiple target tracking,
track while scan.
| High angular resolution & track accuracy.
| Large field of view in very large field of regard.
| Identification of intercepted airborne targets
| Thermal cues for prioritized ground targets
| Steerable image on the pilot’s helmet-mounted
display
| Navigation and landing aid
Thaleshasapolicyofcontinuousdevelopmentandimprovementandconsequentlytheequipmentmayvaryfromthedescriptionandspecificationinthisdocument.
Thisdocumentmaynotbeconsideredasacontractspecification.Graphicsdonotindicateuseorendorsementofthefeaturedequipmentorservices.
Features
PIRATE detects and tracks the infra-red
signatures of multiple aircraft at long range,
over a wide field of view, day & night and adverse
weather conditions. Being a passive sensor, it
enables the aircraft to gather early intelligence
of threats and to manoeuvre stealthily into an
advantageous tactical position without being
detected by hostile electronic warfare systems.
PIRATE accurately tracks multiple high speed
targets, prioritizes them and provides the on
board Attack & Ident. computer with target
positional, velocity, acceleration, approach/
recede etc. data. In addition it provides high-
resolution images for visual identification. It
provides highly reliable information for air-to-air
and air-to-ground use. The system demonstrates
a very high suppression rate of potential false
alarms.
PIRATE is integrated with other on-board
sensor systems for maximum sensor fusion
effectiveness.
PIRATE locates and provides cueing information
on ground targets. It provides data and imagery
to head-up and multi-function head-down displays,
facilitating navigation and terrain avoidance in
adverse weather conditions.
Thales’ wide experience in infra-red detector
technology ensures a superior search and track
performance that will significantly enhance
Eurofighter Typhoon’s effectiveness in combat.
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progress
Thales Land & Joint Systems is playing a key role in
the development of the infra-red search and track
(IRST) system, known as PIRATE, for the Eurofighter