Infrared search and track

An Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off <a href="/facts/Infrared/44XdJNcc">infrared</a> <a href="/facts/Radiation/RwMocyeq">radiation</a>, such as the <a href="/facts/Infrared_signature/od3S5Axr">infrared signatures</a> of <a href="/facts/Jet_aircraft/esXNnbbg">jet aircraft</a> and <a href="/facts/Helicopter/chQF7H55">helicopters</a>.
IRST is a generalized case of <a href="/facts/Forward_Looking_Infrared/00XqYfqo">Forward Looking Infrared</a> (FLIR), i.e. from forward-looking to all-round <a href="/facts/Situation_awareness/0EMpWgTa">situation awareness</a>. Such systems are passive (<a href="/facts/Thermographic_camera/dplJK39u">thermographic camera</a>), meaning they do not give out any radiation of their own, unlike <a href="/facts/Radar/jk9BTbFA">radar</a>. This gives them the advantage that they are difficult to detect.
However, because the atmosphere attenuates infrared to some extent (although not as much as <a href="/facts/Visible_light/jeofpMn4">visible light</a>) and because adverse weather can attenuate it also (again, not as badly as visible systems), their range compared to a radar is limited. Within range, an IRST's <a href="/facts/Angular_resolution/wJarPBWF">angular resolution</a> is better than radar due to the shorter <a href="/facts/Wavelength/kcJU0ymz">wavelength</a>.

Infrared search and track open-in-new

Infrared search and track