ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. - Northrop Grumman has received two follow-on low-rate initial production contract awards from the U.S. Air Force to provide additional Litening SE advanced targeting pods. These two follow-on LRIP contracts have a combined value of $66 million. The two awards are part of an original, overall seven-year (five-year base with two one-year options), $920 million, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract awarded to Northrop Grumman in October 2010 as part of the USAF Advanced Targeting Sensor Enhancement (ATP-SE) program.
According to Northrop Grumman, Litening SE recently completed an extensive flight test program on the F-16 Block 40/50 and A-10C aircraft.
The AAQ-28 Litening system is a combat proven, self-contained, multi-sensor targeting and surveillance system that enables aircrews to detect, acquire, auto-track, and identify targets at long ranges for weapons delivery or non-traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (NTISR) missions. The Litening system has undergone spiral upgrades to ensure continued combat relevance. The Litening SE delivers advancements in sensor, laser imaging, and data link technology. Northrop Grumman reports that technologies include full 1Kx1K Forward Looking Infrared, 1Kx1K charge-coupled device and short wave infrared sensors, color 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.
