Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod Successfully Integrates with Kuwait F-18 Super Hornet
Sniper ATP is pictured on Weapon Station 5 of the F/A-18E/F during the first flight tests in March. NAVAIR Public Release SPR 2021-261 Distribution Statement A – Approved for Public release: distribution is unlimited. (photo credit: Boeing and U.S. Navy)
Orlando, Fla., May 27, 2021 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, completed its first flight test integrating Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the Kuwait Air Force. Sniper ATP will be located on the Weapon Station 5, an area on the aircraft where pods or weapons attach and is expected to be fielded with the aircraft in late 2023. This integration gives existing and future Super Hornet fleets the ability to add Sniper ATP’s precision targeting and surveillance capabilities, which are critical to pilot survivability.
"Integrating Sniper ATP onto Weapon Station 5, commonly known as the ‘cheek station,’ brings state-of-the-art tracking algorithms, two-way-data-link, and many other capabilities to the Kuwait F/A-18E/F crews that will positively impact the overall success of their missions,” said Kenen Nelson, director of Fixed Wing Sensor Programs at Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control. “This also means that all F/A-18E/F customers will have the option of a reliable, easily maintainable and modern targeting pod.”
To verify the mechanics of the system, flight testing with a non-operational Sniper ATP was conducted at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland in March. Subsequently, flight-testing with an operational Sniper ATP was conducted at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California in March. Both first flight tests were successful.
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