Lockheed Martin and Rafael take lead over European rivals
Lockheed Martin and Israel's Rafael Armament Development Authority are emerging as leading contenders to supply targeting pods for the Eurofighter Typhoon, as efforts by European companies to support the aircraft's future ground-attack capability are failing to keep pace.
With Germany, Italy, Spain and the UKon the verge of approving a Tranche 2 production order for the Eurofighter, attention is being focused on the systems that will facilitate its initial air-to-surface strike role, such as the on-board designation of laser-guided bombs.
Rafael appears to have an early edge, with the UK Ministry of Defence in the final stages of negotiating a single-source contract for the latest version of its Litening targeting pod.
Eurofighter partner companies have already conducted initial integration studies using German air force-owned Litening II pods, and the system could be installed on the centreline of the UK's last Tranche 1 production examples. Lockheed Martin has also identified the Eurofighter as a possible platform for the Pantera export version of its Sniper targeting pod, which has already been purchased by Norway for its Lockheed Martin F-16s.
A Litening acquisition could thwart the ambitions of BAE Systems and Thales to equip the Eurofighter with the Airborne System for Target Recognition, Identification and Designation (ASTRID).
The French, Italian, Spanish and UK governments launched this effort in 2002, with the UK alone allocating £91 million ($170 million) for the concept phase and to acquire 40 ASTRID pods from 2010. MoD sources say the ASTRID team was unable to compete on cost and delivery time to meet the UK's initial Typhoon air-to-ground requirements.
Eurofighter says the system could still be in the running to equip the aircraft later in its life, although the partner nations have made no commitment. ASTRID may also find a lifeline if the French air force and navy reaffirm their decisions to adopt the system for their Dassault Rafales.
However, it is unclear whether Paris would be prepared to run the programme by itself.
TIM RIPLEY / LONDON
Source: Flight International
