Lockheed Martin and the New York Air National Guard celebrated the initial operational capability of the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod at a ceremony in Syracuse, N.Y. on April 21. Local officials and members of the 174th Fighter Wing—the first USAF unit to achieve Sniper IOC—were on hand to extol the pod, which already has seen combat action on F-16s and F-15Es. The system provides target coordinates for precision-guided munitions and offers a non-traditional intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance capability.
The Air Force could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…