Lockheed Martin has signed a $40 million foreign military sales contract to deliver Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs) to the Royal Saudi Air Force. 

This is the second Sniper ATP purchase in a multi-year precision sensor modernisation program to improve precision targeting, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability of Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S aircraft, a statement said.

The Royal Saudi Air Force first purchased Sniper pods in March 2009. Operational evaluation of the pod on the F-15S concluded in January of this year, with the Royal Saudi Air Force declaring the pod mission ready.

"Deliveries on the initial F-15S Sniper ATP contract were completed ahead of schedule," said John Rogers, Saudi Sniper ATP program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We've received very positive feedback from Saudi aircrews flying the Sniper pod, and we look forward to delivering additional pods to support their urgent operational requirement for Sniper ATP capability."

Featuring exceptional image quality and stability due to its next-generation design, the Sniper ATP delivers extremely precise weapon targeting for multiple fixed and moving targets, a high performance datalink for real-time coordination between aircrews and ground troops, and real-time weapon damage estimation radius displays to reduce the potential for collateral damage, the statement said.

the Sniper pod is heavily used as a non-traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance asset for convoy route reconnaissance and battlefield situational awareness.

Deployed in theater on US Air Force and coalition partner F-15, F-16, A-10 and B-1 aircraft, the Sniper ATP is also operational on the CF-18 and Harrier GR7 and GR9 aircraft.  Platform expansion continues with the B-52, Tornado, Typhoon, unmanned aerial vehicles and additional aircraft. - PRNewswire