Northrop Grumman’s AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening multi-sensor pod recently reached two million hours, according to a Feb. 24 company release. The self-contained Litening pod allows pilots to “detect, acquire, auto-track, and identify targets” for accurate delivery of conventional and precision-guided weapons. “This is a significant milestone for the Litening program and our team is proud to be part of that success,” said David McCain, Air Force Litening program manager. More than 770,000 of Litening’s two million flight hours were flown in combat conditions and the system maintains a 98-percent availability rate, states the release. “Litening’s two million hours are a testament to both the effectiveness and the reliability of the system,” said Jim Mocarski, vice president of Northrop’s airborne tactical sensors business unit. The company has delivered more than 700 Litening pods to all three components of the Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps and eight international customers, states the release.
The Air Force budget would grow to $234 billion while Space Force spending would shrink to $26 billion under the White House's yearly ask.