ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Feb. 7, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced the achievement of over 600,000 operational hours for the company's LITENING precision targeting and sensor systems currently deployed with U.S. and allied forces.
Northrop Grumman's LITENING 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, with integration underway for Marine EA-6Bs.
"LITENING has contributed to the transformation of the global war on terrorism as the only such system operational on six different aircraft types with a combat-proven internal video downlink," said Mike Lennon, vice president of Targeting and Surveillance Programs at Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division. "LITENING continues to be the precision targeting system most called on, indicated by the additional 100,000 hours that were accumulated since LITENING crossed the half-million hours milestone in mid-2006."
Of the over 600,000 hours accumulated to date, over half have been logged under deployed and combat conditions, while maintaining an operational availability of over 97 percent.
Since the introduction of LITENING, the system has undergone four spiral upgrades to ensure continued combat relevance in an ever-changing battlespace. LITENING is currently in a spiral that includes an advanced forward-looking infrared sensor, burst illumination capability, advanced high power laser and advanced next-generation data links.
LITENING Advanced Targeting 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 $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.