Optronique secteur frontal

The Optronique Secteur Frontal is a long-range optoelectronics system, developed for the French Dassault Rafale combat aircraft. The OSF is able to perform the same functions as a radar without producing any radiation, thus preventing detection.
It allows target tracking through IRST and visual sensors. On the left, the main IR detector can be used as forward-looking infrared sending a video signal to the pilot, or to detect air targets at ranges up to 100 km and ground or sea targets up to 6 km. On the right, a TV/IR sensor is used for target identification within a 40 km range including a laser rangefinder. The OSF assembly has a volume of 80 liters and a weight of 87 kg.
Visible waveband capability is included to identify targets in situations where visual identification is required by the rules of engagement.
The benefits of OFS in air-to-air scenarios are passive long-range detection and target identification before engagement.