LANTIRN Up And Ready For Action In Northern Watch
PARIS, FRANCE, June 15th, 1999 -- When the U.S. Air Force Reserve went looking for 18 targeting systems needed for precision guided munitions operations over Iraq's northern no-fly zone, they didn't have to look any further than Lockheed Martin's battle-tested LANTIRN system. Scheduled to participate in the operation, dubbed "Northern Watch," the Reserve's Block 30 model F-16s had no day-night targeting capability on its aircraft. The squadron was scheduled to operate in the Northern Watch operation for several months, starting in April.
A loan was quickly arranged for LANTIRN systems belonging to the Air Force's Air Combat Command where LANTIRN represents greater than 80 percent of the service's precision targeting capability.
As a result the U.S. Air Force Reserve dropped laser guided munitions for the first time April 17, when an F-16 from Reserve Squadron 482FS delivered GBU-12 Laser Guided Bombs against targets in Northern Iraq.
The front line night navigation and targeting system for U.S. Air Force F-15E and F-16C/D fighters, LANTIRN has also become the system of choice for the Navy's F-14 Tomcat Strike Fighter and the air forces of eleven other nations.
LANTIRN's reliability - an outstanding 98 percent mission availability during the Persian Gulf War - is surpassed only by its performance. The targeting pod allows a pilot to pinpoint targets from long standoff ranges and deliver conventional munitions, laser-guided bombs, and imaging infrared Maverick missiles around the clock.
The pod integrates an infrared sensor, a laser designator/range finder, a boresight correlator for automatic missile hand-off and computers. The Navy F-14 targeting pod also incorporates global positioning and inertial navigation systems.
Continually improved since becoming operational, LANTIRN is now available as LANTIRN 2000. The upgrade features a quantum well 3rd generation FLIR, a diode-pumped laser capable of 40,000 foot operations and a powerful small computer.
With company headquarters located in Orlando, Lockheed Martin Electronics & Missiles is a world leader in electro-optics, smart munitions, anti armor and air defense systems. The company is an operating element of Lockheed Martin Electronics Sector, based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Nettie Johnson, 407-356-5351
e-mail nettie.r.johnson@lmco.com
Mary Jo Polidore, 407-346-2207
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