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Upgraded reconnaissance equipment for F-16s in Afghanistan
1 September 2010, 10.21 hrs
The Dutch F-16s of the Air Task Force (ATF) in Afghanistan were equipped with new RecceLite pods last week. The pods containing special observation equipment are fixed underneath the fuselage. The upgraded version is capable of collecting more high-resolution imagery in a shorter time span. The system is used to map routes along which roadside bombs (IEDs) may have been planted.
The so-called counter-IED F-16 missions have been highly effective. Over the past six months alone, various suspect locations were identified where hidden explosives were susbsequently found and disarmed. In Afghanistan, IED attacks are responsible for the majority of casualties and deaths. The fighter aircraft are also monitoring the routes used by the Redeployment Task Force (RDTF) to transport Dutch materiel over Afghan territory.
The F-16s stationed at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) have been flying reconnaissance missions over Afghanistan since September 2009. The imagery is analysed by the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Centre (TARC) for the presence of IEDs. In addition to the modified RecceLite pods, the imagery-analysis software has also been updated. This enables a more efficient and speedy detection of IEDs.
The ATF operates from KAF with F-16s and Chinook transport helicopters; Apache attack helicopters operate from Tarin Kowt. Since 1 August 2010, the ATF has been tasked with supporting the RDTF in redeploying the Dutch materiel from Uruzgan province and with providing air support to ISAF units on the ground, should the need arise.
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