ERDI LDR40K1 1064nm High-Energy Laser Target Designator – 40mJ Military Targeting System

MAIN FUNCTIONS

The main functions of the LDR40K1 Laser Designator/Rangefinder are as follows:

• Responds to laser designation commands and performs laser illumination using specified internal and external synchronization encoding modes.
• If no stop command is received after illumination starts, the system automatically stops after completing one illumination cycle.
• Supports laser code configuration.
• Performs laser rangefinding.
• If no stop command is received after initiating continuous ranging, the system automatically stops after 5 minutes (1 Hz)or 1 minute (5 Hz).
• Provides multi-target indication capability.
• Includes reverse polarity protection for the power supply.
• Records and reports the total number of emitted laser pulses.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

APPLICATIOS

• Airborne electro-optical targeting pods
• UAV reconnaissance and laser designation payloads
• Ground-based fire-control and observation systems
• Laser-guided munition support and calibration platforms
• Defense and security laser rangefinding operations

OUTLINE DIMENSION

PIN INTERFACE

• Communication interface: one RS-422 serial port.
• External trigger interface: provision for an external coding trigger. The external trigger input accepts TTL-level signals, 3.3 V logic, rising-edge triggered. Minimum pulse width: >10 µs.
• Connector: see figure below for pinout and connector type.

Connector interface definitions are shown in Table .

Table  – Electrical Interface Definitions

LDR40K1 1064nm 40 mJ Laser Rangefinder & Target Designator

The ERDI LDR40K1 is a 1064 nm laser rangefinder and target designator that combines long-range distance measurement, high-energy laser illumination and precise frequency coding in a single compact module. With 40 mJ pulse energy, up to 10 km measuring range on NATO-standard vehicle targets and up to 4 km effective illumination distance, it is designed for precision-guided weapon systems, UAV payloads, airborne EO/IR targeting pods and vehicle fire-control turrets.

The module operates at 1064 ±3 nm with pulse energy ≥ 40 mJ, pulse width ≥ 15 ns ± 5 ns and beam divergence ≤ 0.4 mrad, while the laser optical axis stability is better than 0.05 mrad. Within one illumination cycle, pulse-to-pulse energy fluctuation does not exceed 10% of the average energy, ensuring stable spot brightness for seeker heads and cooperative platforms.  Ranging performance covers 1–20 Hz, with single and continuous modes, minimum distance ≤ 100 m, maximum distance ≥ 10 km (visibility 23.5 km, reflectivity 0.2, target size 2.3 m × 2.3 m), ±1 m accuracy and ≥ 98% successful ranging rate, with selectable first-target or last-target logic for cluttered scenes. 

For laser target designation, the LDR40K1 provides a fundamental designation frequency of 1–20 Hz with ±1 μs coding precision and an effective laser irradiation distance ≥ 4,000 m. Short-period irradiation supports up to 18 s continuous illumination with ≥ 10 s intervals for 8 cycles, while long-period irradiation allows up to 47 s per cycle with ≥ 30 s intervals for 2 cycles; after completing a full target indication cycle, restarting continuous indication requires a cooldown of at least 30 minutes to protect the laser head. The coding scheme uses precise frequency codes with eight groups of pre-stored periodic codes, complies with MIL-STD-810G requirements and supports user-defined code expansion as well as external synchronization signals, enabling seamless matching to different laser-guided munitions and multi-platform cooperative engagement. 

Mechanically, the LDR40K1 maintains a compact SWaP profile, with an external envelope ≤ 115 mm × 65 mm × 60 mm and weight ≤ 460 g, making it easy to integrate into stabilized gimbals, pods and compact turrets. The module operates from a 20–28 V DC supply, with average power consumption ≤ 55 W and peak power ≤ 100 W, and all internal electronics are treated with conformal “three-proofing” coating for resistance to moisture, dust and corrosive atmospheres.

Control and data exchange are implemented via an RS-422 serial interface at 115200 bps, using an asynchronous 8-N-1 format with LSB-first transmission.  A 9-pin connector provides +24 V power, differential TX/RX pairs and a reserved external trigger input for code synchronization. The embedded protocol supports commands for self-test, single and continuous ranging (1 Hz / 5 Hz / 20 Hz), short and long target designation, low-power mode, range-gate setting, laser code read/write, cumulative pulse count reporting and stop commands. The module returns one frame of distance and status data per pulse, automatically issues status frames every 10 s in standby and stop states, logs the cumulative number of laser emissions in multiples of 20 up to the 1-million-shot design life, and reports internal temperature in two’s-complement format to simplify health monitoring. 

To support deployment on airborne and mobile platforms, the LDR40K1 is qualified for an operating temperature range from −40 °C to +55 °C, with storage down to −45 °C. It withstands swept-sine vibration from 15–33 Hz at 0.91 mm displacement and 33–700 Hz at 2 g in three orthogonal directions for 1 hour each, as well as 10 g shocks along all three axes using post-peak sawtooth pulses of 11 ms, with the unit powered on and required to operate normally after testing.Combined with MIL-STD-810G-based safety design, non-flammable materials, reverse-polarity protection and strict optical window recommendations, the LDR40K1 offers integrators a robust, field-proven core for high-end surveillance, targeting and guidance systems.