The drone threat has fundamentally changed the demands placed on combat aircraft and the systems they carry. At Farnborough Airshow 2026, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is presenting operational evidence of how LITENING 5, the world’s most widely deployed targeting pod, has evolved to address that threat, supporting hundreds of successful UAV intercepts across multiple active theaters.
Deployed on more than 25 aircraft types across 28 air forces worldwide, LITENING 5 has become central to the full engagement chain in some of today’s most demanding threat environments. That operational confidence was further reinforced last year when the German Bundestag authorized the procurement of 90 LITENING 5 pods for the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, continuing a decades-long defence partnership. Beyond precision targeting, the decision highlights the growing importance of LITENING 5’s real-time connectivity and data-sharing capabilities, allowing seamless integration within networked operational environments and supporting manned-unmanned teaming architectures that are emerging as a key element of future combat air operations.
LITENING 5’s counter-UAS role covers automatic detection, tracking, identification and terminal guidance through to interception. Its electro-optical tracker provides improved detection and tracking of small, fast-moving aerial threats, reducing the time between initial detection and successful engagement. Once a target is acquired and locked, the laser designator expands the engagement envelope across multiple munition types, including radar-guided missiles, heat-seeking missiles and laser-guided rockets. This gives operators flexibility to select an appropriate response to each threat. By detecting, tracking and designating targets, LITENING 5 provides a precise, low-cost approach to countering small aerial threats at scale while retaining a broader range of missile options for higher-end threats.
The system’s multi-spectral sensor suite incorporates mid-wave infrared, short-wave infrared and large-aperture colour imaging, providing the detection and identification capability required against low-signature aerial threats. Advanced image processing and automatic target-tracking algorithms maintain locks on fast-moving targets across tactically relevant ranges. Battle damage assessment and ground moving target indication further extend the pod’s utility throughout the sortie. The latest generation also offers an optional synthetic aperture radar payload, enabling all-weather targeting alongside the system’s established capabilities.
LITENING 5’s deployment record reflects a development philosophy based on real-world operational feedback. Each successive generation has expanded the system’s capabilities while maintaining the reliability and interoperability on which 28 air forces have built their targeting doctrines.
“LITENING has always been designed to be the decisive link between sensor and shooter,” said Yoav Tourgeman, CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. “What operational theaters around the world are confirming today is that the most advanced sensors and algorithms, embedded in the most widely deployed targeting pod in service, are as consequential to the outcome of an engagement as the munition itself. That is the capability Rafael is bringing to Farnborough.”
