Article Posted on : - Feb 14, 2012

AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING Targeting Pod. Photo: USAF.

ROLLING MEADOWS, ILLINOIS (BNS): The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded two follow-on Low Rate Initial Production contracts to Northrop Grumman for the production of additional LITENING SE advanced targeting pods.

The contracts are worth a combined $66 million. These awards are part of an original, overall seven-year (5-year base with two 1-year options), $920 million, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract granted to Northrop Grumman in 2010, representing a continuation of the LRIP programme, according to the company statement.

LITENING SE recently completed an extensive flight test programme on the F-16 Block 40/50 and A-10C aircraft.

"Getting advanced capability into the hands of the warfighter is a team effort. The combined efforts of the joint US Air Force-Northrop Grumman test team resulted in the expedited completion of the LITENING SE qualification and evaluation flight testing programme," Jim Mocarski, vice-president of the LITENING programme at Northrop Grumman, was quoted as saying in the news release.

LITENING SE delivers the latest advancements in sensor, laser imaging and data link technology.

Technologies include full 1Kx1K Forward Looking Infrared, 1Kx1K charge-coupled device and short wave infrared sensors, colour symbols, tracker improvement, enhanced zoom, and two-way multi-band data link. These advancements deliver more accurate target identification and location at longer ranges than currently deployed systems while reducing pilot workload, the release added.