Tactical air reconnaissance pod system-completely digital TARPS-CD and fast tactical imagery

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed and tested the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System-Completely Digital (TARPS-CD) System on the F-14 Tomcat aircraft. This system has been used in a risk reduction demonstration program extending from January 1999 to July 2001. The purpose of the program is to verify, validate and demonstrate the concept of realtime tactical reconnaissance using timely, high quality and broad coverage tactical imagery, thus expanding the reconnaissance capability of the U.S. Navy. Additionally, the program was to identify potential technical risks associated with the Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) Program, the Navy's future manned tactical reconnaissance capability. The TARPS-CD flight test program has demonstrated that near real-time, electro-optical, airborne reconnaissance, as planned for SHARP, is valid and feasible. The TARPS-CD system collects high quality imagery at high data rates with the capability of storing, displaying, and/or transmitting imagery in a timely manner, and represents a significant increase in operational capability over existing film type systems.