AN/AAQ-28 Litening
| AN/AAQ-28 Litening | |
|---|---|
| Targeting pod | |
Litening pod mounted on Czech Air Force Saab JAS 39C | |
| Status | In use |
| Manufacturing Info | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Introduced | 1995 |
| No. Produced | 1,486 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 2.2 m (7.2 ft) |
| Diameter | 40.6 cm (16.0 in) |
| Weight | 208 kg (459 lb) |
| Usage | |
| Used by Aircraft | See Aircraft use |
| Used by Country | See Operators |
| Variants | |
The AN/AAQ-28 Litening is an advanced precision targeting pod system operational with a wide variety of aircraft worldwide. Research and development of the Litening was first undertaken by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' Missiles Division in Israel, with subsequent completion of Litening I for use in the Israeli Air Force.
Litening significantly increases the combat effectiveness of the aircraft during day, night and under-the-weather conditions in the attack of ground and air targets with a variety of standoff weapons (i.e., laser-guided bombs, conventional bombs and GPS-guided weapons). The thousandth pod was sold in October 2010.
In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/AAQ-28" designation represents the 28th design of an Army-Navy airborne electronic device for infrared special equipment. The JETDS system also now is used to name all Department of Defense electronic systems.