The US State Department has approved the sale of 34 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods and related equipment to Poland.
The proposed $124.7 million sale will improve the tactical effectiveness of FA-50 fighter jets Poland is acquiring from South Korea.
Warsaw has purchased 48 FA-50 light combat jets from Seoul for $13 billion, expecting the first tranche of 12 aircraft this year.
The Lockheed Martin pods will enhance the aircraft’s ability to track, identify, and engage targets from a stand-off range.
It will also improve the aircraft’s interoperability with NATO and US forces.
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod
The Advanced Targeting Pod enables instant data sharing between pod-equipped fourth-generation aircraft and fifth-generation fighters.
The pod is an electro-optical targeting system featuring a laser spot tracker that enables laser-guided weapons to strike moving targets accurately.
The system enables “precision targeting and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance air-to-air and air-to-ground missions in the land, sea, and air domains,” Lockheed said.