Jamie Bennet 
- Northrop Grumman has received a potential $1.84 billion contract to support laser infrared targeting pods for the U.S. Air Force
- Under the contract, the company will provide sustainment, production and modification services for the LITENING pods until Dec. 31, 2035
- The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $1.31 billion contract in 2018 to develop, produce and sustain the targeting pods
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. a contract potentially worth $1.84 billion to support the Laser Infrared Targeting and Navigation Comprehensive Advanced Targeting Pod, also known as LITENING CATP, the Department of War announced Thursday.
Under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract, the Northrop Grumman subsidiary will deliver continued sustainment, production and modifications for the LITENING CATP system. Work will be carried out in Rolling Meadows and is scheduled for completion by Dec. 31, 2035.
The Air Force issued the award on a sole-source basis.
What is LITENING CATP?
Northrop Grumman’s LITENING system is an electro-optical/infrared targeting pod designed to help aircrews spot, lock onto and track targets from a distance, supporting missions that range from precision strikes and close air support to broader surveillance and disaster-relief efforts. Its modular build lets the pod be upgraded over time rather than replaced outright. The newest configuration, LITENING Large Aperture, features six high-definition sensors, and, according to the company, offers improved range, upgraded image processing and modern data-link capability.
What Other LITENING Projects Has USAF Awarded to Northrop?
Northrop has been supporting LITENING targeting pods for the USAF as far back as 2018. The most recent contract was in February 2024, when the military branch expressed plans to use the LITENING Large Aperture variant across its aircraft inventory. In 2019, the USAF awarded the company a potential $141 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task order to deliver LITENING pods and perform upgrades on pods already owned by the military branch. That task order came a year after Northrop secured a $1.31 billion IDIQ contract from the USAF to provide lifecycle support for the targeting pods.
