Northrop Grumman has received a $120 million contract order for delivery of an unspecified number of Litening Gen 4 targeting pods and related equipment to the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, and Marine Corps, the company announced yesterday. “Our Litening Gen 4 system will provide [them] with the very latest and advanced technology in targeting and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,” said Mike Lennon, Northrop’s vice president of targeting and surveillance programs. Previous versions of the Litening already fly on ANG and Reserve platforms like the A-10 and F-16. The order was the first Gen 4 award under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with the 647th Aeronautical Systems Squadron at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.