OVERVIEW: The AN/AAQ-28(V)4 AT (Advanced Targeting) Litening II is an airborne laser target designator pod, designed to improve both day/night and all weather attack capabilities.

DETAILS:  The Litening  system consists of a single  AN/AAQ-28(V)4 AT Litening II pod mounted externally beneath the aircraft. The AN/AAQ-28(V)4 AT Litening II targeting pod contains a high resolution forward-looking infrared sensor (FLIR), a laser designator, laser marker, laser spot tracker, CCD camera and an Inertial Navigation Sensor (INS) housed in a stablized turret for precise delivery of laser-guided munitions. The improved processing incorporated in the AT gives the pod an increase in up to 30%  in target acquisition ranges over earlier Litening II pods.  For a conventional bomb, the laser can be used to determine and feed the target range to the fire control system, simplifying targe detection, recognition and attack and  allowing aircraft to attack targets with precision-guided weapons on a single pass. New capabilities in the AN/AAQ-28(V)4 AT include a "Plug and Play" datalink capablity, allowing for air-to-air and air-to-ground data exchange and video recording.  Additional new features include multi-target cueing and target coordiate generation, making it compatible with J-series munitions.

NOTES:  Litening II provides FLIR and CCD imagery under all lighting and weather conditions.  Litening II can acquire targets at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, above the maximum altitude of many potential threat systems. During Operation "Iraqi Freedom" one USMC AV-8B squadron claimed a 70% verified kill rate using the pod.  The Litening is also capable of providing some reconnaissance and battle damage assessment, as well as identify aerial targets from BVR ranges.  Various models of the Litening are currently used by the USMC, USAF, Israel, Spain, Italy, Australia, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and Denmark.  The pod's modular design allows for relatively quick upgrading. By Spring 2006, all AN/AAQ-28 in the US inventory were upgraded to the AN/AAQ-28(V)4 AT standard.

  
SOURCES:  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. "LITENING." Accessed October 25, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LITENING ; GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. "AN/AAQ-28 LITENING Advanced Airborne Targeting and Navigation Pod." Accessed October 25, 2014. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/litening.htm ; Northrop Grumman. "AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING Targeting Pod." Accessed October 26, 2014. http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/litening/Pages/default.aspx; Janes












