Northrop Grumman has just received another contract from the Air National Guard and Marine Corps for additional LITENING G4 targeting and senor pods, pushing the company’s order book over 500 pods, according to a March 26 company release. “With 534 total pods fielded or on order, LITENING has become the pod of choice for both US and coalition forces,” said Mike Lennon, Northrop’s vice president of Targeting and Surveillance programs. LITENING pods have been key to improved target recognition in Southwest Asia operations, including striking key al Qaeda figures. Last fall, the Air Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, and Marine Corps signed on for the next generation version, LITENING Gen 4.
Senior U.S. lawmakers expressed frustration that they are being cut out of some of the Trump administration’s most central decisions on military policy and spending. Their concerns, which are shared on both sides of the aisle, concern the budget reconciliation process as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans to slash…