Northrop Grumman awarded US Air Force contract to provide LITENING SE advanced targeting pods
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been competitively selected by the US Air Force to provide LITENING SE advanced targeting pods as part of the Air Force's Advanced Targeting Pod - Sensor Enhancement (ATP-SE) program.
If the government exercises all options for the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract, Northrop Grumman is expected to receive an approximately $920 million share of the entire $2.3 billion award for the purchase of up to 670 pods through 2017.
The initial ID/IQ order is valued at approximately $25 million and encompasses flight testing of the targeting systems on Air Force F-16 Blocks 40/50, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve F-16 Blocks 25/30/32, and A-10C aircraft, and represents potential orders for as many as 250 targeting pods plus spares, training and logistics support.
"Our continued focus is on providing the best targeting pods in the industry to our warfighters, and we view ATP-SE as an opportunity to continue that tradition," said Michael Lennon, vice president of Targeting Systems at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector.
LITENING SE is a pylon-mounted targeting pod capable of producing infrared and visible imagery of both ground and airborne targets. The pod provides laser ranging and designation in support of weapon delivery, navigational functions, and recording and data-linking of generated imagery and data. The imagery will allow for greater stand-off ranges and increase target identification.
"LITENING SE builds on Northrop Grumman's current G4 production targeting pod configuration, which is the only such system in the world that offers 1K forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and Laser Target Imaging Program (LTIP) technology," Lennon added.
LITENING SE employs a Plug-N-Play (PnP) IIITM digital two-way, data link LRU inside the pod.
"Northrop Grumman is an industry leader in providing targeting pod improvements and winning this competition is proof positive of our customers' belief in and support for the LITENING ATP-SE system," he added. "We were the first to deploy a laser marker and an on-board data link on a targeting pod and the first to demonstrate two-way digital and networked internal data link capabilities."
Source: Northrop Grumman
More from Defence Notes
-
![Taiwan approved for purchase of $11 billion in weapons from US]()
Taiwan approved for purchase of $11 billion in weapons from US
The US State Department’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar sale of weapons to Taiwan includes tactical mission networks equipment, uncrewed aerial systems, artillery rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
-
![Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan]()
Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan
Ireland’s multi-annual investment in capital defence spending is set to rise from €300m in 2026 to €360m in 2029–2030 with major upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains.
-
![US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry]()
US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry
The 2025 NSS has emphasised investment in the US nuclear and air defence inventory and national industry, but it leaves multiple unanswered questions on how the White House will implement this approach.
-
![Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners]()
Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners
While non-EU UK struggles to join the Security Action for Europe initiative, which provides loans for defence programmes, Canada has become the first country outside Europe to get access – and did so for a nominal fee.
-
![NATO experiments with solutions to integrate networks, AI and uncrewed systems]()
NATO experiments with solutions to integrate networks, AI and uncrewed systems
During the latest edition of the NATO DiBaX, the alliance tested multiple capabilities to inform requirements for future efforts.
