.US gives Pakistan 18 Sniper spy pods for F-16s
WASHINGTON: The US government has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for 18 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP), a part of the new advanced block 52 F-16 aircraft programme for Pakistan.
With deliveries beginning in 2008, Sniper ATP's exceptional stability and superior imagery will allow Pakistan Air Force to perform intelligence, targeting, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from extended standoff ranges.
Pakistan is the eighth international customer to join the US Air Force and Air National Guard flying with Sniper ATP. The contract includes spares and training services. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"This sale culminates a two-year combined effort by Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control and Aeronautics businesses to upgrade the precision attack capability of one of our key allies," said Ken Fuhr, director of Fixed Wing Targeting Programmes at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Monday.
"Sniper continues to demonstrate exceptional performance in meeting the requirements and expectations of the Warfighter."
Sniper incorporates a high-resolution, mid-wave third-generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR), a dual-mode laser permitting eye-safe operation in urban environments, a CCD-TV along with a laser spot tracker and a laser marker.
Sniper is fully compatible with the latest J-series munitions and precision-guided weaponry. Its superior detection ranges are vital to pilots, helping keep them out of range of threat air defences.
The Pakistan Air Force joins the UK Ministry of Defence; the Canadian Forces, the Royal Norwegian Air Force; the Polish Air and Air Defense Force; the Royal Air Force of Oman; the Belgium Defence and other international customers with its selection of the Sniper ATP.
Sniper ATP is currently flying on the US Air Force and multinational F-15s, F-16s, F-18s, A-10s, B-1s and the Harrier GR9. Sniper ATPs have accumulated tens of thousands of flight hours in thousands of sorties in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
The Maryland Headquartered Lockheed Martin is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustaining of advanced technology systems.
Times of India
Ok is this like the stupidest thing we have done. Why bother with the middle men, we should just have shipped them overnight to Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran.
We should have only agreed to something like this in exchange for Khan and his whole network.
You have to wonder, they just signed the new FISA law, so they can watch us, but who the fuck is watching them.
I was curious so I looked the shit up:
Mission
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod is a long-range precision targeting system that supports the precision strike mission. It provides positive target identification, autonomous tracking, coordinate generation, and precise weapons guidance from extended standoff ranges.
Features
The Sniper ATP is a single, lightweight pod with much lower aerodynamic drag than the legacy systems it replaces. The Sniper possesses advanced targeting technology and its image processing allows aircrews to detect and identify tactical-size targets outside threat rings for the destruction of enemy air defense mission, as well as outside jet noise ranges for urban counter-insurgency operations. It offers a 3-5 times increase in detection range over the legacy LANTIRN system. It has been successfully integrated on a variety of aircraft to include the F-15E, the F-16 Block 30/40/50, and the A-10. Sniper ATP is also being integrated on the B-1.
Sniper ATP incorporates a multi-spectral sensor capability with a high-resolution, mid-wave third-generation FLIR and a CCD-TV. Advanced sensors, combined with advanced image processing algorithms and rock-steady stabilization produce target identification ranges that permit operations minimizing exposure to many threat systems. The dual-mode laser offers an eye safe mode for urban combat and training operations, along with a laser-guided bomb designation laser for guiding in these precision munitions.
For target coordination with ground and air forces, a laser spot tracker, a laser marker, and a TV quality video down link which is currently in flight test to joint terminal air controllers improve rapid target detection/ identification. Sniper ATP provides high-resolution imagery highly sought after for the non-traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission. Sniper ATP is being used in Operation Iraqi Freedom on F-15Es and F-16s.
For ease of maintenance, Sniper ATP's revolutionary optical bed design, optimal partitioning, and diagnostic capabilities permit true two-level maintenance, eliminating costly intermediate-level support. Automated built-in test permits a flightline maintainer to isolate and replace an LRU in under 20 minutes to get the pod back up to full mission capable status. Spares are ordered through a user-friendly website offering in-transit visibility to parts shipment.
Background
In August 2001, the U.S. Air Force announced Lockheed Martin's Sniper as the winner of the ATP competition. The contract provides for pods and associated equipment, spares, and support of the F-16 and F-15E aircraft for the total force, active-duty Air Force and Air National Guard. Follow-on acquisitions are expected for the A-10 and B-1.
General Characteristics
Primary Function: Positive identification, automatic tracking and laser designation
Prime Contractor: Lockheed Martin
Length: 94 inches (239 centimeters)
Diameter: 11.9 inches (30 centimeters)
Weight: 440 pounds (199 kilograms)
Aircraft: F-15E, F-16 Block 30/40/50, A-10, B-1
Sensors: Mid-wave third generation FLIR, dual mode eye-safe, laser designator, CCD-TV, laser spot tracker and laser marker
Date Deployed: January 2005
Inventory: Not available.
Factsheets
They must have found a few extra ones lying around that no one had signed off on.
With deliveries beginning in 2008, Sniper ATP's exceptional stability and superior imagery will allow Pakistan Air Force to perform intelligence, targeting, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from extended standoff ranges.
Pakistan is the eighth international customer to join the US Air Force and Air National Guard flying with Sniper ATP. The contract includes spares and training services. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"This sale culminates a two-year combined effort by Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control and Aeronautics businesses to upgrade the precision attack capability of one of our key allies," said Ken Fuhr, director of Fixed Wing Targeting Programmes at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Monday.
"Sniper continues to demonstrate exceptional performance in meeting the requirements and expectations of the Warfighter."
Sniper incorporates a high-resolution, mid-wave third-generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR), a dual-mode laser permitting eye-safe operation in urban environments, a CCD-TV along with a laser spot tracker and a laser marker.
Sniper is fully compatible with the latest J-series munitions and precision-guided weaponry. Its superior detection ranges are vital to pilots, helping keep them out of range of threat air defences.
The Pakistan Air Force joins the UK Ministry of Defence; the Canadian Forces, the Royal Norwegian Air Force; the Polish Air and Air Defense Force; the Royal Air Force of Oman; the Belgium Defence and other international customers with its selection of the Sniper ATP.
Sniper ATP is currently flying on the US Air Force and multinational F-15s, F-16s, F-18s, A-10s, B-1s and the Harrier GR9. Sniper ATPs have accumulated tens of thousands of flight hours in thousands of sorties in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
The Maryland Headquartered Lockheed Martin is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustaining of advanced technology systems.
Times of India
Ok is this like the stupidest thing we have done. Why bother with the middle men, we should just have shipped them overnight to Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran.
We should have only agreed to something like this in exchange for Khan and his whole network.
You have to wonder, they just signed the new FISA law, so they can watch us, but who the fuck is watching them.
I was curious so I looked the shit up:
Mission
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod is a long-range precision targeting system that supports the precision strike mission. It provides positive target identification, autonomous tracking, coordinate generation, and precise weapons guidance from extended standoff ranges.
Features
The Sniper ATP is a single, lightweight pod with much lower aerodynamic drag than the legacy systems it replaces. The Sniper possesses advanced targeting technology and its image processing allows aircrews to detect and identify tactical-size targets outside threat rings for the destruction of enemy air defense mission, as well as outside jet noise ranges for urban counter-insurgency operations. It offers a 3-5 times increase in detection range over the legacy LANTIRN system. It has been successfully integrated on a variety of aircraft to include the F-15E, the F-16 Block 30/40/50, and the A-10. Sniper ATP is also being integrated on the B-1.
Sniper ATP incorporates a multi-spectral sensor capability with a high-resolution, mid-wave third-generation FLIR and a CCD-TV. Advanced sensors, combined with advanced image processing algorithms and rock-steady stabilization produce target identification ranges that permit operations minimizing exposure to many threat systems. The dual-mode laser offers an eye safe mode for urban combat and training operations, along with a laser-guided bomb designation laser for guiding in these precision munitions.
For target coordination with ground and air forces, a laser spot tracker, a laser marker, and a TV quality video down link which is currently in flight test to joint terminal air controllers improve rapid target detection/ identification. Sniper ATP provides high-resolution imagery highly sought after for the non-traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission. Sniper ATP is being used in Operation Iraqi Freedom on F-15Es and F-16s.
For ease of maintenance, Sniper ATP's revolutionary optical bed design, optimal partitioning, and diagnostic capabilities permit true two-level maintenance, eliminating costly intermediate-level support. Automated built-in test permits a flightline maintainer to isolate and replace an LRU in under 20 minutes to get the pod back up to full mission capable status. Spares are ordered through a user-friendly website offering in-transit visibility to parts shipment.
Background
In August 2001, the U.S. Air Force announced Lockheed Martin's Sniper as the winner of the ATP competition. The contract provides for pods and associated equipment, spares, and support of the F-16 and F-15E aircraft for the total force, active-duty Air Force and Air National Guard. Follow-on acquisitions are expected for the A-10 and B-1.
General Characteristics
Primary Function: Positive identification, automatic tracking and laser designation
Prime Contractor: Lockheed Martin
Length: 94 inches (239 centimeters)
Diameter: 11.9 inches (30 centimeters)
Weight: 440 pounds (199 kilograms)
Aircraft: F-15E, F-16 Block 30/40/50, A-10, B-1
Sensors: Mid-wave third generation FLIR, dual mode eye-safe, laser designator, CCD-TV, laser spot tracker and laser marker
Date Deployed: January 2005
Inventory: Not available.
Factsheets
They must have found a few extra ones lying around that no one had signed off on.
posted by madtom at 11:12 PM
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