Full-colour video enhances Litening
A Targeting Pod So Advanced, It Can See The Future. (Photo: Northrop Grumman)
USAF Reserve and Air National Guard F-16s fly with upgraded targeting pods.
Upgraded Litening advanced targeting pods with full-colour and digital video capability have been rolled out for the first time, manufacturer Northrop Grumman announced on 4 May.
The targeting pods were fielded with the USAF Reserve and Air National Guard, giving F-16 pilots an ‘unprecedented level of situational awareness and targeting certainty’, the company claimed.
Litening is an EO/IR sensor system for targeting and surveillance that enables aircrews to detect, acquire, identify and track targets at long ranges.
The pods are built with a modular design and so can be upgraded to the colour configuration.
The upgrade also delivers the ability to record simultaneous video feeds from all sensors for post-mission analysis, automatic laser code display and an eye-safe mode that allows for more realistic training while using the laser.
Northrop Grumman VP James Conroy said that the Litening pod ‘can display up to three different views simultaneously, allowing operators to see colour and infrared video side by side, and in different fields of view’.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Callen-Lenz pushes ahead with Nyan OWE as it hails operational success]()
Callen-Lenz pushes ahead with Nyan OWE as it hails operational success
The one-way-effector uncrewed aerial vehicle has also been tested by the British Army, following on from its contract award notice in February 2026.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Locally produced loitering munition destined for UAE Navy, says MBDA]()
Eurosatory 2026: Locally produced loitering munition destined for UAE Navy, says MBDA
The contract signed between MBDA and Fly-R will see diamond-shaped loitering munitions developed and prepared in the UAE. How does this move fit into wider market trends in the region?
-
![Eurosatory 2026: MBDA and Thales look to civilian industry for loitering munition scale-up]()
Eurosatory 2026: MBDA and Thales look to civilian industry for loitering munition scale-up
Thales and MBDA have taken steps to ensure the mass production of their respective loitering munition offerings at Eurosatoy, teaming with civilian manufacturers. These moves come amid France’s push towards sovereign drone production and continued market expansion.
-
![Only 25% of the US Pentagon’s F-35 fleet has been fully mission capable, GAO says]()
Only 25% of the US Pentagon’s F-35 fleet has been fully mission capable, GAO says
The fighter jet remains a combat necessity, but sustainment challenges continue to limit its readiness. In the meantime, the US Air Force seeks billions in funding to improve the F-35's availability.
-
![Eurosatory 2026: How the deep-strike, loitering munition market skyrocketed to $13.8 billion in three years]()
Eurosatory 2026: How the deep-strike, loitering munition market skyrocketed to $13.8 billion in three years
Ukraine’s rapid development of long-range, deep-strike loitering munitions has helped turn the sector into a market worth an estimated US$13.2 billion. The reasons behind this were outlined during Eurosatory 2026, as other countries embark on the early stages of procuring this capability.
