US gives Pakistan 18 Sniper spy pods for F-16s


14 May 2007, 2129 hrs IST,IANS





WASHINGTON: The US government has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for 18 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP), a part of the new advanced block 52 F-16 aircraft programme for Pakistan.

With deliveries beginning in 2008, Sniper ATP's exceptional stability and superior imagery will allow Pakistan Air Force to perform intelligence, targeting, surveillance and reconnaissance missions from extended standoff ranges.

Pakistan is the eighth international customer to join the US Air Force and Air National Guard flying with Sniper ATP. The contract includes spares and training services. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"This sale culminates a two-year combined effort by Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control and Aeronautics businesses to upgrade the precision attack capability of one of our key allies," said Ken Fuhr, director of Fixed Wing Targeting Programmes at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Monday.

"Sniper continues to demonstrate exceptional performance in meeting the requirements and expectations of the Warfighter."

Sniper incorporates a high-resolution, mid-wave third-generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR), a dual-mode laser permitting eye-safe operation in urban environments, a CCD-TV along with a laser spot tracker and a laser marker.

Sniper is fully compatible with the latest J-series munitions and precision-guided weaponry. Its superior detection ranges are vital to pilots, helping keep them out of range of threat air defences.

The Pakistan Air Force joins the UK Ministry of Defence; the Canadian Forces, the Royal Norwegian Air Force; the Polish Air and Air Defense Force; the Royal Air Force of Oman; the Belgium Defence and other international customers with its selection of the Sniper ATP.

Sniper ATP is currently flying on the US Air Force and multinational F-15s, F-16s, F-18s, A-10s, B-1s and the Harrier GR9. Sniper ATPs have accumulated tens of thousands of flight hours in thousands of sorties in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

The Maryland Headquartered Lockheed Martin is engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustaining of advanced technology systems.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/File_US...how/2045845.cms





About Sniper ATP

Sniper XR / ATP - Advanced Targeting Pod
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control's Sniper XR (eXtended Range) is the US Air Force's Advanced Targeting Pod. Incorporating a 3rd generation targeting FLIR, Sniper XR's common aperture and exceptional stabilization result in superior image quality. Flown supersonically in USAF flight evaluations at Edwards AFB, Sniper XR allows pilots to identify tactical targets at greatly improved standoff ranges over current targeting systems. The modular, two-level maintenance design ensures the lowest life cycle costs.

The ATP pod should have a geopointing capability 10 times more accurate than the LANTIRN with triple the recognition range and twice the resolution. The ATP can acquire targets at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, versus the 25,000 feet typical of the LANTIRN pod. Substantial advances in the reliability and maintainability should also occur. The ATP features both laser target designation, and the ability to generate ground target position data that can provide an input to Global Positioning System guided munitions, such as JDAM.

Sniper XR is designed for current and future fighter aircraft. Incorporating a high-resolution, mid-wave 3rd generation FLIR, a dual-mode laser and a CCD-TV along with a laser spot tracker and a laser marker, Sniper vastly improves target detection/identification. The advanced image processing algorithms, combined with rock-steady stabilization techniques, deliver three times the performance of the best systems in service today. Fully compatible with the latest standoff weaponry, Sniper provides automatic tracking and laser designation of tactical size targets via real-time imagery presented on cockpit displays. Likewise, the supersonic, low-observable design results in a substantial reduction in drag and weight.

Fully capable of being embedded or podded, Sniper technology is incorporated into Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) design. The JSF Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) is highly common with Sniper.

The Advanced Targeting Pod Program is an acquisition program to put targeting pods on the US F-16CJ Block 50 aircraft and also serve as a possible replacement for the LANTIRN target pods on F-15Es and F-16 Block 40 aircraft if approved and funding becomes available. The HTS R7 / TGP combination provides potential to find, pinpoint, and destroy mobile SAMs, giving the F-16CJs a true multi-role capability to support EAF operations. The program objective is to provide a Precision Attack Targeting System for the USAF F-16CJ, ANG F-16, and F-15E aircraft, (with an A-10 MSIP & F-16 Block 40 M4 objective). For the F-15E portion, offerors will be required to identify the tasks and activities necessary to qualify the pod on the F-15E. The A-10 is the other objective aircraft, though currently an initiative has not been undertaken to include ATP on the A-10. ATP will enhance and maintain the USAF strike mission lethality with an advanced targeting pod system enabling Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (DEAD) missions.

The overall purpose of the Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) Program is to Competitively Acquire a Best Estimated Quantity (BEQ) of 168 targeting pods, support equipment, interim contractor support, contractor logistics support, retrofit kits and data over a seven year period. The initial acquisition supports USAF F-16 Block 50/52 and ANG F-16 Block 25/30/32 aircraft. This acquisition is required for ACC and the ANG to accomplish the Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD) mission (as directed by CSAF Direction.) Although currently categorized as an ACAT Level III program, a potential exists that the program could proceed to ACAT Level II -- for the ORD also states an objective requirement to replace the LANTIRN targeting pod on the F-15E and F-16 Block 40 aircraft.

Does any one know the max range? (i know its at least 15 miles)
(maximum resolution is said to be maintianed at 50,000 feet)

Source: a youtube video

Old news

hey is there any chance of making another f16 squadron or these new toys being used on f16 somewhere else?

PAF is only aquiring 18 F-16 Block 52s but it doesnt mean those 18 will be equipped with all of those 18 pods. PAF will only arm these pods when ever the aircraft will have to go for any surgical strike missions or SEAD/DEAD operations.

There will be only one squardon which will be equipped with Block 52s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_Sniper_XR

here is the complete information about sniper xr

im really confused about the EXACT number of F-16s the PAF is getting...i thought the actual number was 44 with 18 new Block-52's...now im not too sure..some info would do!! Also...it may sound dumb but may i please know the basic difference between a radar and this latest targetting pod that we are getting?!..i mean they both track targets..dont they? i kno the sniper is there for recon and surv operations but a little more detail would help!

(32) F-16A/Bs are the original ones that PAF have from the (40) that were delivered in the 1980s. To add to this, the US is giving (28) used F-16A/Bs, bringing the total up to (60) F-16A/Bs which would all be MLU'd. Plus (18) brandnew F-16C/D block-52s as part of the new order. Which brings the total upto (78) F-16A/B/C/Ds in all. And if the option of a further 18 is excersized, then the total would raise up to (96) F-16A/B/C/Ds.

- (32) F-16 A/Bs standing PAF Viper fleet before American cooperation.
- (28) F-16 A/Bs refurbishment fleet by the Americans under the agreement.
- (18) F-16 C/Ds the only new order placed by PAF to date.
- (18) F-16 C/Ds further option that can be excersized by the PAF.

thx mate!!! 70+ F-16s are more than enough i guess...we gotta move on!

I don't understand this logic. We have ordered these 18 Sniper ATPs for our brand new F-16C/Ds delivery expected in 2010 after the Bush administration has long gone. The secong paragraph says "Deliveries beginning in 2008". Where do we fit those pods even if we get them? We have not even got our 28 MLUed vipers. The six vipers we got are not MLUed. Will we keep them in storage?

Someone please advise.

I would like to see Pakistan have 196 F16s no im seroius!

F16 and JF17 should form the backbone of PAF in equally large numbers.

200 F16 +200 J17 and a small number of highly advanced fighters like 36 J10.

200 F-16s! Thats a little ostentatious on your part.
Don't you think we would be over reliant on the US in that case. One arms embargo and half the PAF will be crippled, they've done it before and they might do it again. You must remember that with the F-16 there is little growth potential for the future so by investing that heavily in F-16s will be good in the short term but in the medium-long term it will be a nightmare since they will become obsolete soon and there will be many to replace. By contrast the JF17, J10 offer a much better growth potential as the whole aircraft can be re-deisgned to meet future requirements and also they are much more cost effective.

I agree, we can't trust America. the F-16 should serve the purpose of a stop gap until we can get J-10 in big enough numbers, after that, it will just be another part of the arsenal.

Our main efforts should focus on JF-17 and J-10. As far as F-16 goes, our effort should be on stealing technology from it for analysis.

bro, i love the F-16, and yes it is one of the most advanced 4th Gen fighter even today and having 200 of them would make us a very deadly airforce. But keeping my personal preferences aside i think the sooner we get rid of our reliance on american technology the better it is for us in the long term. every sale of american equipment comes with alot of strings attached, and we cant afford to face the post 1965 scenario again, specially of we operate a large number of american airplanes. i think the current proposed fleet of F-16s is more than enough to meet our strategic needs, even if the option of the 18+ block 52 is not taken. infact, in my opinion we should have gone for only used F-16s with MLU and not at all bothered to purchase the new F-16 blk52s.

this is what i would have liked the PAF fleet to look like:

60 F-16 MLU
100 J-10
250 Jf-17

when are the block 52's cominG?!

The 1st F-16block52+ is suppose to arrive in 2009.

Yeah I think I just carried away with the F16 numbers I just like it too much!

Hey I would like to ask again that I don't understand this logic. We have ordered these 18 Sniper ATPs for our brand new F-16C/Ds delivery expected in 2010 after the Bush administration has long gone. The secong paragraph says "Deliveries beginning in 2008". Where do we fit those pods even if we get them? We have not even got our 28 MLUed vipers. The six vipers we got are not MLUed. Will we keep them in storage?

Someone please advise.

AOA,

I think Pakistan is doing good if it takes Sniper pods as early as possible.

What Pakistan should do:

See if Block 52s are received... well and good,

If not put them on MLUs

If MLU are received, modify existing F-16s with it.

I think Pakistani engineers can do wonders,

If they can make a chinese aircraft (F-6) capable of firing American missile (GAR-8) in 1971, entirely different technologies,

They can do this also.