ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Britain's Ministry of Defense has issued an urgent supply order for new U.S.-built targeting pods for its GR9 Harrier jets.
Lockheed Martin's Florida unit said in a news release Monday it had been contracted by the MoD to provide it Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) under the terms of an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) issued by the Royal Air Force (RAF) late last year.
"The MoD selected Sniper ATP for its proven combat capabilities and low-risk integration benefits," said Hugh Woods, program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
Lockheed said the units would be delivered beginning next month and would be completed in June. The deliveries come at the same time Britain is increasing its troop levels in Afghanistan and extending the tours of Harrier units in theatre. The GR9 version of the veteran jump jet began deploying to Afghanistan last month and will eventually replace the GR7 model.
The BBC noted at the time that the first two to arrive in the theater were off engaging Taliban targets the same day. The rugged GR9 is capable of dropping GPS-guided ordnance at night and in foul weather.
Test flights by the RAF found the Sniper to offer high-quality video and infrared capabilities to assist pilots in identifying potential targets on the ground at longer ranges than current systems. One of the features that the RAF found particularly enticing, Lockheed said, was the Sniper's ability to detect weapons caches and even individuals on the ground outside of jet's noise range.
The Sniper is already deployed on a number of U.S. warplanes as well as with the air forces of Oman, Poland, Belgium and Norway.
