ATP continues to receive upgrades with the latest addition
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract worth up to U$200 million from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide sustainment services in support of international operators of the company’s SNIPER Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs) and LANTIRN Navigation Pods.
Announced at the Paris Air Show on 20 June, Lockheed Martin officials described to MONS how the contract would support Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers globally, as part of a five-year support contract.
Speaking to MONS, Vice President for Fire Control and Special Operations forces Contractor Logistics Support Services at the company, Paul Lemmo, said: “Enabling SNIPER ATP and LANTIRN FMS customers to quickly and easily acquire sustainment support is critical. With the ID/IQ contract, our customers can address their unique sustainment needs based on the mission at hand.”
Lockheed Martin previously established a $485 million SNIPER ATP ID/IQ contract with FMS customers to procure pods and spares. To date, 14 customers have placed orders under that contract.
The ATP continues to receive upgrades with the latest addition, according to Lemmo, comprising the integration of a two-colour laser spot trackers including an eye-safe option for training serials. These laser spot trackers are designed to detect light from laser projections in order to identify the movement of enemy force laser points.
The ATP comprising an electro-optical payload featuring MWIR (Mid Wave Targeting and Forward Looking Infrared) technology capable of supporting precision-guided weapons for the, “detection, identification and engagement of multiple moving and fixed targets in the air to air and air to ground environments.”
The solution also includes a high definition television camera; solid state digital data recorder enabling cockpit playback and NTISR; as well as two-way datalink with full motion video and metadata capabilities.
Measuring 30.5cm in diameter, the SNIPER ATP comprises 252cm in length and weighs a total of 202 kilogrammes. The payload also includes moving target tracker algorithms allowing it the capability to automatically re-acquire targets following up to 10 seconds in ‘obscuration.’
“ATP is changing the way armed forces operate in theatre to meet the challenges of non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance [NTISR],” company officials explained. Currently, the ATP is supporting a variety of air frames including the F-15; F-16; F-18; B- ; B-52; A-10; F-2; and TYPHOON aircraft globally. This includes the Japanese MoD’s fleet of F-2 aircraft and Kuwait’s Eurofighter TYPHOON, it was explained to MT.
Andrew White
