ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., June 19, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Defensive Systems Division will provide its new LITENING advanced targeting (AT) system capability to support U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers.
The Air Force Materiel Command's System Program Office, which supports multiservice/multinational targeting requirements, awarded the contract. Totaling $16.3 million, the award includes 10 new LITENING AT pods, the retrofit of 47 LITENING extended range (ER) pods to LITENING AT status and additional upgrades and services. The Marine Corps LITENING AT version includes enhanced image processing and precision target coordinate generation.
"The AT configuration provides a significant advancement in combat capability for employing both laser guided or GPS guided precision weapons," said Mike Lennon, vice president of targeting and surveillance programs at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division. "The upgrade to LITENING AT will give Marine Corps AV-8Bs the best targeting system flying today."
The Air National Guard (ANG) became the first to select LITENING AT for its fleet of F-16s. LITENING AT predecessors, LITENING II and LITENING ER, are currently fielded with ANG F-16s and A-10s; Air Force Reserve Command F-16s; the Marine Corps, Italian and Spanish AV-8Bs, and U.S. Air Force F-15Es. These customers will have ordered a total of 260 pods by the end of this year.
The Northrop Grumman LITENING AT is a self-contained, multisensor laser target designating and navigation system that enables fighter pilots to detect, acquire, track and identify ground targets for highly accurate delivery of both conventional and precision-guided weapons. LITENING AT also features a 640 x 512 pixel forward-looking infrared camera; charge-coupled device television; laser spot tracker/range finder; infrared marker; laser designator; and two-level maintenance previously fielded with LITENING ER.
Based in Rolling Meadows, Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division designs, develops and manufactures radio frequency and electro-optic/infrared products that protect military aircraft, ships, satellites and ground vehicles from attack by modern weapons; provide tactical aircraft with 24-hour targeting and navigation capabilities; ensure high-value, complex, electronic and electro-optical weapons systems are mission ready; and evaluate defense electronic performance in complex environments.
The division is a component of Northrop Grumman's Baltimore-based Electronic Systems sector, a world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of defense and commercial electronic systems, including airborne radar systems, navigation systems, electronic warfare systems, precision weapons, airspace management systems, air defense systems, communications systems, space systems, marine systems, oceanic and naval systems, government systems, and logistics services.
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