The
research and development program began at
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' Missiles Division in Israel, with subsequent completion of Litening I for use in the Israeli Air Force. In 1995
Northrop Grumman teamed with Rafael for further development and sales of the Litening pod, reaching
Initial Operating Capability (IOC) the same year.
Litening II/ER/AT Northrop Grumman and Rafael completed product improvements on the "Basic Pod" including a third generation FLIR, laser marker and software upgrades (Litening II) which was fielded beginning in 1999. The two companies subsequently replaced the "320x256" FLIR with a latest technology "640x512" FLIR. This pod, known as Litening ER, extended the target detection range and was fielded in 2001. The newest version, Litening AT, is in production and was fielded in 2003. It further extends target detection and recognition ranges, improves the target coordinate generation accuracy, and provides multi-target cueing. Litening AT features a plug-and-play bay configured to accept a wide variety of
data-links and recorders. Plug and Play II data-link capability offers increased range, digital
data recording and an option to incorporate
secure, two-way communications over ultra-high frequency (
UHF) radios. Litening's Plug and Play I, introduced in 2003, was the first data-link to be incorporated in a third generation targeting pod.
Litening G4 Litening G4, which began to be delivered to U.S. forces in 2008, added new sensors for improved target identification and other advanced target recognition and identification features. The Litening G4 provides significant enhancements in terms of both recognition range and image quality due to Rafaels' AVP imaging capability. The G4's technologies include a full 1Kx1K
FLIR and charge-coupled device, as well as
short-wave infrared laser imaging sensors, color symbology, tracker improvement and enhanced zoom. The Litening Gen 4 technology and capability is also available in a kit form that allows users to upgrade their currently fielded Litening pods. The
Royal Danish Air Force is the first international partner to take delivery of G4 pods. Rafael announced on the eve of
DefExpo 2014 a large order for 150+ Litening targeting pods for the
Indian Air Force’s combat aircraft fleet. Litening G4 pods have been chosen by the Indian Air Force for its frontline fighter aircraft, including the
Su-30 MKI,
MiG-29 and others.
Litening SE Litening SE provides
laser ranging and designation in support of weapon delivery, navigational functions, and recording and data-linking of generated imagery and data. This version includes a Plug-N-Play (PnP) III digital two-way, data link
line-replaceable unit (LRU). As of October 2010, the pods were being delivered as part of the
US Air Force’s
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod – Sensor Enhancement (ATP-SE) program.
Litening III The Litening III, used on the
IAF Tejas,
Italian Air Force AMX, and
RAF Typhoon aircraft, also provides still image capture for
reconnaissance missions in addition to the targeting capabilities found on other models.
RecceLite / RecceLite XR The RecceLite and RecceLite XR are
gimballed versions of the Litening pod for use on drones such as the
MQ-9 Reaper or directly integrated into a crewed aircraft. It incorporates
multi-spectral cameras and
C/
X-band communication channels to transmit reconnaissance feeds. RecceLite XR incorporates the improvements from the Litening 5 pod.
Litening 5 Litening 5 is the latest version of the pod introduced in 2019. It improves the resolution of the short and medium-wave infrared cameras and introduces a
synthetic aperture radar with a range. In 2021,
FlightGlobal reported the Litening 5 was being introduced to service on
Saab JAS 39 Gripen and
Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
Future developments Rafael sees an increased market in the future because of the move to stealth platforms which must have targeting systems built in. In 2013 the company was developing a new model to compete for an
F-35 Lightning II requirement. At that time, F-35's had the equivalent of a
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR called the
AN/AAQ-40 EOTS (
Electro-Optical Targeting System) built in, and the Advanced EOTS with improved cameras. However, in 2020 the delivery to the Israeli Air Force of a prototype
F-35I with the EOTS's
apertures covered over fueled speculation that the F-35I would incorporate a version of the Litening 5 over the Advanced EOTS upgrade. ==General characteristics==