The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) has taken delivery of the initial batch of Litening G4 advanced targeting pods from Northrop Grumman, for installation on its F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft fleet.
Covering six Litening G4 pods, spares, support equipment, training and site activation, the delivery follows completion of a rigorous two-week flight test and evaluation programme, which included 25 sorties that validated the pod’s performance against RDAF’s stringent requirements.
The delivery, which makes Denmark the first international Litening G4 recipient, forms part of a contract awarded by the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) to Northrop for supply of Litening G4 systems in June 2012.
Northrop Grumman airborne tactical sensors business unit vice-president Jim Mocarski said: "Northrop Grumman established a very successful teaming relationship with DALO and the RDAF to deliver the exact combination of performance and pilot interface that the RDAF needed to meet its operational requirements."
An advanced variant of the Litening advanced targeting system, the Litening G4 is designed to offer powerful capabilities to pilots for target detection, identification and tracking at long ranges for precision weapon delivery or non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
The pod features the latest advancements in sensor, laser imaging and data link technology, such as 1K forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and 1K charge-coupled device sensors, which represents the highest resolution available in any fielded targeting pod.
Additional technologies include a short wave infrared (IR) laser imaging sensor, tracker improvements, and significant enhancements in zoom, recognition range and image quality.
The Litening systems are currently operational with Australia, Finland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the US.
Remaining systems under the contract are scheduled to take place over the next two months.
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Image: A Litening G4 pod mounted on the underside of the RDAF’s F-16 engine intake. Photo: courtesy of RDAF Capt. Thomas Kristensen.
