Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod marks critical milestone for FA-50 integration.

Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) successfully completed its fit check on the FA-50 platform, marking a significant step in the pod’s aircraft integration. The FA-50 is a light combat aircraft manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries, LTD., in partnership with Lockheed Martin.

Sniper ATP capabilities (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

Since Korea Aerospace Industries, LTD., awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to integrate Sniper ATP on its FA-50 platform, Sniper ATP has completed several key milestones. The fit check verified the engineering, physical connections and interfaces, as well as validated upload and download procedures of the pod.

Sniper will continue to go through various tests that will verify areas like the electromagnetic interference, laser mask zone and aircraft transfer alignment parameters, all concluding with a flight test.

Lockheed Martin is on track to complete integration of Sniper ATP on the FA-50 by August 2020 and achieve full certification by the end of 2020.

A Republic of Korea Air Force FA-50 (Picture source: Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

 Sniper ATP provides an affordable and interoperable targeting pod solution for the FA-50 platform. The product offers capability enhancements like high-resolution imagery for precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It detects, identifies, automatically tracks and laser-designates small tactical targets at long ranges and supports employment of laser-guided and GPS-guided weapons against multiple fixed and moving targets.

Sniper ATP is the most widely deployed targeting system for fixed-wing aircraft in use by U.S. forces and is also the targeting system of choice for many international allies across multiple platforms.

Sniper ATP F-A50 integration timeline (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)