Lock-on after launch


Lock-on after launch, or LOAL, is a capability of missile systems to lock-on to its target after being launched from its carrier vehicle. The term is normally used in reference to airborne weapons, especially air-to-air missiles. LOAL is an important part of modern weapon systems as it allows the weapons to be carried internally to increase :wikt:stealth|stealth and then acquire the target once it has left the launching aircraft. LOAL systems normally rely on cuing from a helmet mounted sight or onboard sensors like radar or FLIR, and use a simple strapdown inertial guidance system to know where to look after launch. Examples of LOAL weapons include the ASRAAM air-to-air missile and later versions of the AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missile. The older method of launch has retroactively become known as lock-on before launch, or LOBL, although this term is not commonly used and is a backronym to distinguish it from LOAL method.