Lockheed Martin To Build Precision Weapons For USAF For $485 Million

Lockheed Martin has won a $485 million contract to supply precision weapons targeting pods to US Air Force, according to a statement issued by the US Department of Defense (DoD) last Friday.

The Sniper is an electro-optical and infrared imaging targeting system that comes encased in a lightweight pod compatible with the latest precision-guided weapons, according to Lockheed Martin. The pod is affixed to the bottom of aircraft for detecting moving and fixed targets during air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements.

The building of the Sniper pods will be performed at a Lockheed Martin facility in Orlando, Florida. Development is expected to be completed by March, 2018, the DoD release said.

Lockheed also won an $8.9 million contract to provide ten Sniper targeting pods to the Royal Jordanian Air Force by the end of 2016, according to the DoD.