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
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny]()
Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny
Governments worldwide are scrambling to decouple defence supply chains from dependency upon strategic rivals, but countries could struggle to do it all themselves.
-
![How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces]()
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
