Lockheed Martin says it recently completed the second phase of work to integrate its Sniper targeting pod onto Air Force B-52H bombers. In the latest series of flight tests, Sniper demonstrated its ability to operate on the B-52, said the company in a release. “The Sniper pod demonstrated exceptional high-altitude performance,” said Maj. Chris Chandler, 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron operations flight commander. He added, “The picture quality was just unreal” and “the range from which I could identify targets was equally impressive.” The Sniper will give B-52 aircrews the ability to positively identify targets at long range and downlink video imagery to ground troops. In August, Lockheed said it received a contract for phase 3 work, which entails full integration of the Sniper on the B-52 with some pod improvements. B-52s have already flown missions with Northrop Grumman’s Litening pod.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing crashed during a training mission in Michigan on Sept. 17. The fighter's sole pilot ejected and is in stable condition at a local hospital.
