Article Posted on : - Feb 02, 2012

A US Navy Super Hornet fighter.

ST. LOUIS (BNS): Boeing has begun production of a new targeting system for the US Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters.

The Distributed Targeting System (DTS) will provide enhanced targeting capability for the Super Hornet. It is being developed as part of the US Navy's F/A-18E/F Network Centric Warfare Upgrades programme.

The Navy had granted approval for Low Rate Initial Production of DTS following successful completion of initial operational assessment flight testing at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, between September 2010 and March 2011.

"Distributed targeting is going to be a real game-changer for Super Hornet aircrews," said Kevin Fogarty, Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G Mission Systems director.

"DTS increases pilot and aircrew situational awareness and precision targeting when engaging air-to-ground targets, in part by using geo-registration technology," the official said.

Geo-registration technology compares images taken from tactical sensors with an onboard imagery database to produce highly accurate target coordinates.

The DTS is on schedule to achieve Initial Operational Capability in January 2013, Boeing said.