ST. LOUIS, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A new Distributed Targeting System for the U.S. military's F/A-18E/F fighter jets is on the production line at Boeing, the company announced.
The U.S. Navy gave the go-ahead for initial low-rate production following the system's initial operational testing on Super Hornets at Navy facilities in California and Maryland.
The Distributed Targeting System is part of the Navy's F/A-18E/F Network Centric Warfare Upgrades program.
"Distributed targeting is going to be a real game-changer for Super Hornet aircrews," said Kevin Fogarty, Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G Mission Systems director.
"DTS increases pilot and aircrew situational awareness and precision targeting when engaging air-to-ground targets, in part by using geo-registration technology," which compares images taken from tactical sensors with an onboard imagery database for target coordinates.
Boeing said the system is expected to reach initial operational capability next year.
The Navy has more than 480 F/A-18E/Fs, a twin-engine aircraft with a maximum speed of 1,190 mph.
