India chooses Litening G4 for combat aircraft fleet

Israel’s Rafael Advanced Systems entered Defexpo 2014 in New Delhi on a high, after reportedly bagging a massive contract for over 150 Litening targeting pods for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat aircraft fleet. A spokesperson for Rafael wouldn’t confirm details but indicated to SP’s that the Litening pod had been chosen by the IAF for its frontline fighter aircraft, including the Su-30MKI, MiG-29 and others. The Litening G4, which began to be delivered to the US forces in 2008, is, according Rafael partner Northrop Grum- man, a combat proven, self-contained, multi-sensor targeting and surveillance system, enabling aircrews to detect, acquire, auto-track and identify targets at extremely long ranges for weapon delivery or non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Litening’s 1K FLIR, 1K charged-coupled device (CCD), laser imaging sensors, advanced image processing and digital video output provide superior imagery, allowing aircrews to identify and engage targets under a wide range of battlefield conditions. Integrated on a wide variety of aircraft including the AV-8B, A-10A/C, B-52H, EA-6Bs, F-15E, F-16 and F/A-18, Litening is in operation with the US Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, US Marine Corps and several other nations.