Northrop Grumman’s LITENING Advanced Targeting has maintained an operational availability rate of 95 percent over more than two years, according to a company release. US and coalition military forces have flown LITENING AT for more than 370,000 combat hours out of a total of nearly 800,000 operational hours. The US Air Force flies the system on A-10, B-52, F-15E, and F-16 aircraft.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.