During a training flight in northern England, a British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon unexpectedly detached a pylon carrying an AN/AAQ-28 Litening targeting pod.
The pylon and pod landed in a rural field, avoiding injuries or property damage. The Eurofighter Typhoon was operating out of RAF Coningsby, an airbase located in southern Lincolnshire. The airspace over Yorkshire is frequently used for training missions by aircraft from this and other bases.
The debris was initially secured by local police before being handed over to military personnel. A Royal Air Force representative confirmed that the pylon, used for mounting equipment on the aircraft, had “accidentally detached and fallen in an open area.” However, no details were provided regarding the targeting pod. The impact of the pylon and pod left a crater, though fortunately, it was minor.
The Royal Air Force has launched an investigation into the cause of the pylon’s detachment from the aircraft. Although such incidents have not occurred in the UK for some time, they are not uncommon globally. Earlier this month, a U.S. Air Force F-16 unintentionally “lost” a fuel tank during a flight near Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Similarly, in 2012, a British RAF Tornado GR4 accidentally dropped an inert training bomb during a flight near the England-Scotland border, a result of equipment failure.
The loss of a targeting pod in such an incident is unfortunate, as these are complex technological systems valued at over $1 million per unit. Both the Litening III and Litening V pods are in service with the Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft, though it is unclear which version was lost in this case.
The Litening pod, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Northrop Grumman, is a guidance system first introduced in 2000 and continuously upgraded. The latest model, Litening V, was released in 2019. Typhoon fighters use this pod for unconventional reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition, as well as for directing weaponry to targets. The integrated laser can identify targets and guide laser-guided bombs like Paveway and Brimstone missiles.
In 2021, the British Air Force experienced another loss of a Litening pod, though in that instance, it detached from an aircraft on the ground. At the time, the loss was valued at £640,000, which is roughly $780,000 today. Such incidents can occur for various reasons, ranging from pilot errors or maintenance issues to simple mechanical failures.
Source: theaviationist
