Northrop Grumman has received a $120 million contract order for delivery of an unspecified number of Litening Gen 4 targeting pods and related equipment to the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, and Marine Corps, the company announced yesterday. “Our Litening Gen 4 system will provide [them] with the very latest and advanced technology in targeting and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,” said Mike Lennon, Northrop’s vice president of targeting and surveillance programs. Previous versions of the Litening already fly on ANG and Reserve platforms like the A-10 and F-16. The order was the first Gen 4 award under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the 647th Aeronautical Systems Squadron at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.