The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman [NOC] a $71.5 million order to commence full-rate production (FRP) of its Litening SE advanced targeting pods and spares for the Advanced Targeting Pod-Sensor Enhancement (ATP-SE) program, according to a company statement.
Jim Mocarski, vice president of Northrop Grumman’s electro-optical/infrared business unit, yesterday said FRP deliveries are ongoing and will continue through second quarter 2014. Mocarski said Litening SE pods will be installed on A-10C, F-16 Block 30, F-16 Block 40/50, F-15 and B-52 aircraft.
The Litening SE pylon-mounted targeting pod is capable of producing infrared and visible imagery of both airborne and ground targets, enabling pilots to detect, acquire, auto-track and identify targets for accurate delivery of both conventional and precision-guided weapons.
Building on the Litening G4, the enhanced Litening SE includes technologies such as true 1Kx1K forward-looking infrared and charge-coupled device sensors, a short-wave infrared laser imaging sensor, color symbology, tracker improvements, enhanced zoom and two-way multiband data link. These advancements deliver more accurate target identification and location at longer ranges than previous generations of Litening targeting pod systems while reducing pilot workload.
Mocarski said Israeli defense contractor Rafael is the company’s partner on Litening SE.