The Air Force has tasked Boeing to develop and deliver a lightweight, compact laser targeting system called Line of Sight-Short to help improve the effectiveness of battlefield airmen performing close air support missions, announced the company on Wednesday. “LOS-S provides the Air Force intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting in one easy-to-use, lightweight, hand-held device,” said Mike Hettmann, Boeing’s director of tactical ISR, in the company’s Feb. 20 release. The company received an initial $3 million contract for this work; if the Air Force exercises all options for production, the contract’s total value could reach more than $100 million, states the release. LOS-S is part of the Air Force’s broader efforts to upgrade the suite of gear that battlefield airmen carry into combat. The system offers improved target detection, recognition, laser designation, and friendly fire avoidance capabilities, said Boeing.
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
