U.S. Air Force Upgrading Litening Targeting Pods To New Large Aperture Variant
March 11, 2024 Military AviationSTEFANO D'URSO
Litening
The upgraded Litening pod incorporates significant enhancements in electro-optical/infrared sensing and processing capabilities.
Northrop Grumman disclosed recently that the U.S. Air Force is currently fielding the upgraded Litening Large Aperture targeting pod, which incorporates significant enhancements in electro-optical/infrared sensing and processing capabilities compared to the older variant. The news follows the recent frequent sightings of Litening pods on active-duty F-16s instead of the Sniper pod.
In fact, while the AAQ-28 Litening targeting pod was previously fielded across all units, USAFE, PACAF and ACC units replaced it with the newer Lockheed Martin AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod, while the Litening remained in use by ANG units. Since late 2023, however, many photos surfaced online both from the Air Force and aircraft spotters showed a new return of the Litening on USAFE, PACAF and ACC F-16s.
Northrop Grumman listed in its press release the three main features of Litening Large Aperture:
https://theaviationist.com/2024/03/11/usaf-upgrades-litening-pods/
