Lockheed Martin officials tell Air Warfare Symposium attendees the company expects this year to demonstrate for the Air Force the two-way “John Madden” capability of its Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod. In the Sniper’s first demonstration, Lockheed used a video downlink that showed streaming TV with increased resolution and imagery. The second demonstration will feature transmit and receive, high-definition quality, two-way connectivity to generate even more precise targeting ability. Lockheed plans to offer the Air Force the John Madden video-to-ground feature in real-time to replace LANTIRN targeting pods on the F-16 and F-15E. Lockheed already has received a contract for a B-1B Sniper flight demo and hopes to flight test it with the B-52 later this year.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.