The Air Force has chosen both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to provide upgraded versions of their respective Sniper and Litening targeting pods through 2017. Under the Advanced Targeting Pod-Sensor Enhancement program, the Air Force intends to purchase up to 670 pods combined from both companies during that period. For that purpose, it has entered into an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract arrangement with both suppliers that has a total potential value of $2.3 billion, if all options are exercised. Lockheed stated in a release Wednesday that it has won a 60-percent work share and Northrop’s own release indicates that it is eligible for 40 percent of the potential pod sales. Both companies said they have received initial task orders worth roughly $25 million apiece for testing their new sensor enhancement configurations.
There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites.
