Lincad to power Leonardo laser target designator

Lincad will supply batteries for Leonardo's Type 163 Laser Target Designator under a supply agreement announced on 9 March.

The agreement will see Lincad provide batteries, power adaptors and filter adaptors for the laser designator - a man-portable laser designed to provide laser designation for semi-active laser guided weapons, including enabling Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) to direct close air support for ground troops.

Traditionally, laser target designators have proved too heavy and bulky for JTACs to take into front-line operations. Leonardo has developed the Type 163 as a lightweight solution to overcome this.

To keep the equipment as light as possible, Lincad will supply a detachable, side-mounting, ruggedised 18V, 3Ah Li-ion battery that weighs less than 400g.

The associated power adaptor allows for the prolonged operation of the Type 163 from an alternate variable voltage power supply such as a vehicle battery. It has power filtering, management and regulation electronics to ensure smooth operation of the laser from a 10V to 32V DC source, connected via a military round connector. The adaptor also serves as a recharging unit for the battery.

The filter adaptor acts as an interface with a standard in-service battery. This greatly increases the operational functionality of the Type 163 by increasing the available sources of power in different operational scenarios.

Peter Slade, Lincad's joint managing director, said: 'We have a long history of developing the battery technology and the power management solutions required to lighten the load on soldiers in the field and to increase their operational efficiency. The battery and associated equipment that we developed for the Type 163 Laser Target Designator is an excellent example of that and we're delighted that Leonardo MW has asked us to continue supporting them.'