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Lockheed delivers milestone Sniper ATP to Air Force

Lockheed Martin has announced the production and delivery of its 1,000th Sniper Advanced Targeting pod for combat aircraft.

By Richard Tomkins
A Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod fitted onto the belly of a B1B bomber. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Darnell Cannady
A Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod fitted onto the belly of a B1B bomber. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Darnell Cannady

ORLANDO, Fla., May 1 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has delivered its 1,000th sensor-enhanced Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod since its introduction in 2003.

The pod provides enhanced target identification, maritime tracking, and two-way datalink communication to fighter and bomber aircraft, as well as nontraditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or NTISR, capabilities.

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"One thousand pods is a significant milestone for the Sniper program, and our team is proud to be a part of that success," said David McCain, U.S. Air Force Sniper program manager. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Lockheed Martin, providing advanced targeting capability to our air crews."

The 1,000th pod was delivered earlier this week to the U.S. Air Force at Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control facility in Orlando, Fla.

The Sniper ATP can be used on multiple aircraft types -- F-15, F-16, F-18, A-10, B-1 and B-52, for example – and has been deployed on warplanes of 15 countries in addition to those of the United States.

"Sniper ATP's performance, reliability and maintainability have enabled customers worldwide to successfully carry out their precision strike and NTISR missions," said Ken Fuhr, director of fixed wing programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Lockheed Martin continues to invest in Sniper ATP capability enhancements to meet our customers' evolving needs."

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