ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., July 18, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced the achievement of 500,000 operational hours for the LITENING precision targeting and sensor systems currently deployed with the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, Marine Corps and Air Combat Command, as well as the Israeli Air Force, Italian navy and Spanish navy.
"LITENING has been instrumental in supporting the global war on terrorism, and is the only such system operational on six different aircraft types," said Mike Lennon, vice president of Targeting and Surveillance Programs at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division. "Whether operating from austere airfields or with Marines at sea, LITENING AT (advanced targeting) is always mission-ready.
Of the 500,000 hours accumulated to date, over 250,000 have been logged in combat hours, while maintaining an operational availability of over 95 percent. The LITENING system's inherent reliability has resulted in a mean time between failure rate currently exceeding 600 hours.
Since the introduction of LITENING by Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division in 1999, the system has undergone four major upgrades to ensure continued combat relevance in an ever-changing battlespace. To date, over 400 pods have been ordered with over 360 fielded, the largest number of any advanced targeting and sensor system.
Northrop Grumman's LITENING AT system is a self-contained, multi-sensor 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. It is currently deployed on AV-8B, A-10, B-52, F-15E, F-16 and F/A-18 aircraft.
LITENING AT is the only targeting system that has fielded advanced image processing for target identification and coordinate generation; a third-generation forward-looking infrared sensor; charge-coupled device television sensors; a laser spot tracker; an infrared laser marker; infrared laser designator/range finder; and various data links and recorders.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense company headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Northrop Grumman provides technologically advanced, innovative products, services and solutions in systems integration, defense electronics, information technology, advanced aircraft, shipbuilding and space technology. With more than 120,000 employees and operations in all 50 states and 25 countries, Northrop Grumman serves U.S. and international military, government and commercial customers.