Northrop Grumman delivered its first batch of 50 Litening G4 advanced targeting pods to the Air Force, according to a company release. The latest in the Litening series, the G4 pod is capable of fixing targets from farther away, offering a broader field of vision and improved zoom characteristics over previous marks. The pod is a “significant technological leap, enhancing the F-16’s combat capability, while reducing pilot workload,” stated Maj. Evans Boeve, targeting pod program manager with the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center in Tucson, Ariz. In addition to new-build G4 pods, customers may choose to retrofit the G4’s updated data links, sensors, and imaging capability on previous generations of Litening pods, according to the company. The lot 1 G4 deliveries were part of a $277.8 million contract.
The Space Force has a new No. 2 officer, and U.S. Africa Command has its first ever leader from the Air Force. The Senate voted to confirm Lt. Gen. Shawn W. Bratton as Vice Chief of Space Operations and Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson as commander of AFRICOM on July 31.…
