Raytheon announced Wednesday that it is upgrading the target location accuracy and high-definition imaging of its Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems. “This is an important upgrade for our Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems family of sensors as we continue to provide high-performance, state-of-the-art technology for the warfighter,” said Tim Carey, Raytheon’s vice president for intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance systems. MTS is a turreted or forward-looking pod that contains an electro-optical and infrared full-motion video camera system enabling long-range surveillance and high-altitude acquisition, tracking, and laser designation. The upgrades will allow for more accurate targeting, the company said. A host of platforms including Air Force MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft and C-130-based special-mission aircraft carry MTS, which surpassed one million operational flight hours in August, according to the company.
Exasperated with the delays to the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 update—which has held up deliveries of completed fighters since last fall—the House Armed Services Committee wants to slash the military services’ fiscal 2025 F-35 purchase by at least 10 aircraft and as much as 20.