Editing TIALD (section)

==History==
The  [[Royal Air Force|RAF]]'s first laser designators were [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] [[Pave Spike]] pods fitted to [[Blackburn Buccaneer]]s which entered service in 1979.<ref name=AFM>{{cite magazine |last=Ripley |first=Tim |date=October 2000 |title=Laser Bombers |magazine=AirForces Monthly| publisher=Key Publishing}}</ref> As these were limited to daylight use, the Ministry of Defence initiated studies for a new laser designator.<ref name=AFM /> The first operational use of LGBs by the UK's armed forces were the RAF [[BAe Harrier|Harrier]] attacks on [[Argentina|Argentine]] forces during the [[Falklands War]]. Laser designation for these attacks was carried out by a [[forward air controller]] using a ground designator.<ref name=AFM />

In 1988 a [[Ferranti]]-led consortium was awarded a contract for development of its TIALD laser designator pod for use on the [[Panavia Tornado]].<ref name=FT>{{cite news |last=White |first=David |date=4 June 1988 |title=Ferranti-Led Consortium Wins RAF Laser Contract |work=Financial Times |location=London}}</ref> The Ferranti pod incorporated thermal imagers from GEC-Marconi and automatic video tracking equipment from British Aerospace.<ref name=FT /> The first use of the TIALD pod occurred during trials in May 1990 where a Buccaneer guided Paveway II bombs dropped from a Tornado.<ref name=AFM />

The 1990 [[Invasion of Kuwait|Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]] saw the TIALD pod rushed into service on Tornado GR1s in just 46 days.<ref name=AFM /> In the resultant Gulf War, two pre-production TIALD pods were used to guide 229 LGBs to their targets.<ref name=prep>{{cite news |date=10 December 1997 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/tornado-forecast/18763.article |title=Tornado forecast |work=Flight International |access-date=2020-06-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Marquis |first=R.J. |date=1995 |title=Light from the darkenss |magazine=GEC Review |publisher=General Electric Company}}</ref>

The TIALD pod was used extensively following the Gulf War including during the [[Iraqi no-fly zones|Iraqi no-fly zone]] patrols (1991-2003),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmdfence/453/45307.htm|title=House of Commons - Defence - Thirteenth Report}}</ref> the related [[Operation Desert Fox]] (1998),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davison  |first1=John  |last2=Marshall  |first2=Andrew |date=18 December 1998 |title=Iraq Bombings: The Air assault - RAF Tornados spearhead second phase of Desert Fox campaign |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/iraq-bombings-the-air-assault-raf-tornados-spearhead-second-phase-of-desert-fox-campaign-1192018.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/iraq-bombings-the-air-assault-raf-tornados-spearhead-second-phase-of-desert-fox-campaign-1192018.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |access-date=2020-06-15 }}</ref> [[Operation Deliberate Force]], Bosnia (1995),<ref name=BK>{{cite news |last=Penney |first=Stewart |title=Aiming to Improve |date=22 August 2000 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/aiming-to-improve-/33813.article |work=Flight International |access-date=2020-06-15 }}</ref> the [[Kosovo War]] (1999)<ref name=BK /> and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 Iraq Conflict]].

In March 1995 the RAF received the first upgraded [[SEPECAT Jaguar]] aircraft capable of operating the TIALD pod. The upgrade required both hardware and software updates of the type.<ref>{{cite news |date=9 March 1995 |title=The plane that aims for accuracy  |work=Engineer }}</ref> Integration on the Harrier GR7 commenced in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 May 1996 |title=BAe plans TIALD vibration tests on Harrier GR7 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/bae-plans-tiald-vibration-tests-on-harrier-gr7/6848.article |work=Flight International |access-date=2020-06-17 }}</ref>

===Manufacturer===
Due to the corporate history of its parent companies, the manufacturer of the TIALD pod has been known as Ferranti, GEC-Ferranti/GEC-Marconi,<ref name=prep /> [[BAE Systems Avionics]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoyle |first=Craig |date=30 March 2004 |title=BAE to combat UK missile threat |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/bae-to-combat-uk-missile-threat/53634.article |work=Flight International |access-date=2020-06-16 }}</ref> and [[Selex ES]].<ref name=sights>{{cite news |last=Hoyle |first=Craig |date=6 March 2007 |title=Sniper sets sights on Harrier |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/sniper-sets-sights-on-harrier/72319.article|work=Flight International |access-date=2020-06-16  }}</ref>

===Replacement===
Experience in Afghanistan lead to the realisation that TIALD was outdated, as described by an RAF Wing Commander: <blockquote>"[It] was designed in the 1980s, to allow pilots to drop laser guided bombs on targets like bridges, big buildings and aircraft hangars... TIALD as an air interdiction targeting pod is very good and has done this reasonably well over the last decade, as was proved in [[Deliberate Force]] (1995), [[Allied Force]] (1999), and [[Operation Telic]] (2003). Now, however, we need a sensor that is geared more towards urban <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[close air support]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, where we need to defend particular targets that are very similar to others, like compounds within small towns or villages."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Warnes |first1=Alan|year=2009 |title=Herrick Harriers:An Unofficial Tribute to Joint Force Harrier in Afghanistan|publisher=Key Publishing}}</ref></blockquote>

The TIALD pod was replaced by the [[LITENING targeting pod]] on Tornados.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 April 2014 |title=All-seeing Eyes |work=Vayu Aerospace & Defence Review }}</ref> The [[Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod|Sniper pod]] replaced TIALD on Harriers following an urgent operational requirement in 2007.<ref name=sights /><ref>{{cite news |last=Hoyle |first=Craig |date=5 June 2007 |title=UK Harriers debut with Sniper pod |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/uk-harriers-debut-with-sniper-pod/74069.article |work=Flight International }}</ref>