Coming soon to DCS: F-16C is the AN/AAQ-33 Advanced Targeting Pod. It’s the last item on Eagle Dynamics F-16C early access list and should add some extra features to your DCS: F-16C experience. Let’s have a look.

Advanced targeting

Matt “Wags” Wagner is back with a new DCS World video and this time it’s a preview and a learning opportunity for the AN/AAQ-33 Advanced Targeting Pod. Some of you may better know it by the trademarked “Sniper” or “Sniper XR” name.

Matt reports that the current targeting pod for the Viper is a mash-up of LANTIRN and Litening pod features. This system is reportedly staying with the jet (ignore that comment on the roadmap) in their current state. The ATP will be added to the mix and be a more accurate representation.

The pod has all of the usual capabilities that you’d expect from a targeting pod including the ability to identify, track, lase and provide assessment from your precision guided strikes. It also has some advanced features like multi-target track, picture in picture (TV and IR), extended range image processing, infrared pointer, and more advanced air-to-air features.

Follow up video(s) are planned to help tell us about how these features work.

Next up for the Viper

As with all DCS World modules, development times are lengthy and the F-16C has been waiting for its Sniper ATP for years now. It remains early access while this process is completed and going by the list, this should mark the end of the early access period. It doesn’t mean that development isn’t going to continue with the following four items listed on post early access launch plans:

• Data Transfer Cartridge (DTC) and Mission Editor/Planner.
• Air-to-Air datalink assignments (after DTC IDM Datalink Functions).
• RWR Handoff PRF Tones (waiting on PRF tone library).
• ALE-50 Towed Decoy.