A successful test integrating the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) on a Kuwait Air Force F-18 Super Hornets is expected to be completed by 2023, Lockheed Martin said on Thursday.
“This integration gives existing and future Super Hornet fleets the ability to add Sniper ATP’s precision targeting and surveillance capabilities, which are critical to pilot survivability,” Lockheed Martin said in a press release.
To verify the mechanics of the system, flight-testing with an operational sniper ATP was conducted at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the state of California, the release said.
The Sniper ATP is currently deployed on 15 different types of aircraft in 27 nations, including older versions of the F-18 in Kuwait, the release noted.
The system features an electro-optical targeting system housed in a pod that attaches to the aircraft fuselage. It provides precision targeting for both air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, according to Lockheed Martin.
