Northrop Grumman has announced a new contract with the U.S. Air Force for the LITENING advanced targeting pod.

According to a company’s statement, the U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $1.3 billion indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) award for LITENING advanced targeting pod sustainment, production, software and upgrades.

“Since the first generation of the Northrop Grumman LITENING pod, we have been providing this mission critical capability with our top priority of ensuring that LITENING is ready for any mission, any time,” said Brent Toland, vice president, land and avionics C4ISR, Northrop Grumman. “This initial logistics award continues our 24/7 commitment to LITENING operators and maintainers.”

LITENING is in service with major components of the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, the Marine Corps and several international customers. It has been integrated on a wide range of platforms, including AV-8B, A-10, B-52, C-130, F-15, F-16 and F/A-18.

Northrop Grumman’s widely fielded AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING system is a combat proven, self-contained, multi-sensor targeting and surveillance system.

LITENING enables aircrews to detect, acquire, auto-track and identify targets at long ranges for weapon delivery or nontraditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. LITENING’s 1K FLIR, 1K charged-coupled device (CCD), laser imaging sensors, advanced image processing and digital video output provide superior imagery, allowing aircrews to identify and engage targets under a wide range of battlefield conditions.