Raytheon has delivered its first R7 high-speed anti-radiation missile (HARM) pod to the Air Force, designed to find and identify ground-based emitters. The R7 HARM targeting system is the first upgraded pod to be equipped with new hardware and software, including a GPS receiver. The HARM system allows the pilot to find emitters that can then be destroyed by precision guided munitions. All the current Air Force HTS pods will be upgraded to R7 in the next two years, according to a Raytheon statement.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.