Irony of fate: US purchases Israeli Litening pods for $1.8 billion
Almost every American aircraft strike involves the use of the Israeli Litening pod, which assists in target acquisition and weapon guidance. The system was developed by Rafael after the US refused to sell Israel the equivalent LANTIRN pod.
The US Department of Defense has awarded the American company Northrop Grumman a contract worth $1.84 billion for the procurement of Litening targeting pods for the US Air Force, as well as for the improvement and maintenance of existing units. This is a framework contract effective until 2035, based on which the Air Force will place actual orders.
Litening is a targeting pod developed by Rafael, which Northrop Grumman manufactures in the US in partnership with the Israeli company for branches of the US military and foreign customers. The pod is installed on a special station under the aircraft's fuselage and is equipped with a camera, sensors, and a laser for weapon guidance, allowing pilots to detect ground targets from a distance in all weather conditions.
In recent years, its importance has grown in assisting with the critical task of identifying UAVs and drones, small aircraft that are often difficult for standard radar to detect.
Irony of fate: Rafael developed Litening 40 years ago with funding from the Ministry of Defense, after the US refused to sell the Israeli Air Force the equivalent American pod, LANTIRN. Since then, Rafael has developed five generations of the pod with improved ranges and resolution, and an option to integrate a radar produced by Israel Aerospace Industries.
Since 1996, the Pentagon has purchased 900 Litening pods, which proved to be cheaper and more effective than LANTIRN. The system is used in the US on F-15E, F-16, and A-10 aircraft, F-18s, Harrier jets, and even B-52 bombers and Hercules aircraft.
While the F-35s purchased by the US military have integral weapon guidance systems, the Americans will continue to use the Litening system for their other aircraft. Northrop Grumman reported that the operational availability of the system stands at 95%.
The contract does not specify the exact number of pods or whether it includes upgrades to the fifth generation of Litening, which was recently purchased by the German government for their Typhoon aircraft. In the meantime, the company has received an initial $43 million as part of the contract.
