South Korea successfully tests Sniper targeting pod on FA-50 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft

 

An FA-50 test aircraft carrying a Sniper advanced targeting pod. Photo c/o Military Leak.



South Korean aviation company Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has successfully tested the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (Sniper ATP) with the FA-50 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft.

The Sniper ATP underwent both ground and flight testing with the FA-50, which paves the way for the system to be airworthy certified with the FA-50 aircraft. KAI is expected to obtain the Certification of Airworthiness (COA) from Aircraft Certification Authority to approve the Sniper ATP to be operated on FA-50 light combat aircraft.

During the test, a long range guided munition was able to hit a target with guidance from a Sniper ATP mounted on an FA-50 aircraft, which shows the ability for the targeting pod and the aircraft to interact and work together.

KAI and Lockheed Martin has been testing the Sniper ATP with the FA-50 aircraft since 2019, with the flight testing being the last phase of the testing process prior to COA application.

Once the COA is secured, this would allow KAI and Lockheed Martin to install and integrated with new build and existing FA-50 platforms, including those used by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), and other international air forces including Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines, and Thailand, and for other future markets.

So far, there were indications from the ROKAF, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to consider the Sniper ATP for their own requirements.

The Lockheed Martin Sniper ATP is one of the most prolific targeting pods in use, which allows aircraft to improve its air-to-ground capabilities. The Sniper ATP uses high resolution imagery for precision targeting as well as non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

It can support the employment of laser-guided and GPS-guided precision munitions against multiple fixed and moving targets, and has been type certified with the the F-2, F-15, F-16, F/A-18, Harrier and Typhoon fighter aircraft, the A-10 attack aircraft, and the B-1 and B-52 bombers.




[1] Military Leak

South Korea successfully tests Sniper targeting pod on FA-50 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft South Korea successfully tests Sniper targeting pod on FA-50 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal on January 26, 2021 Rating: 5

1 comment

  1. If the PAF decided to install the LM sniper targeting pod it will great enhance the FA-50 capability to hit any target, even the Chinese held islands in the WPS.

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