Bahrain has placed an order for the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP), produced by Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin announced on July 10, 2017 that it had received a direct commercial sale contract from the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) for the provision of Sniper ATPs for the Bahraini F-16 fleet.
The sale makes Bahrain the 25th international customer for the system.
A Lockheed Martin press release noted, “Under the $22.45 million contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver ATPs, spares and support equipment for integration. To meet the BDF’s urgent operational need, pod deliveries will begin in early 2018.”
The press release quoted Paul Lemmo, the vice president of Fire Controls/ Special Operations Forces Contractor Logistics Support Services at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, as saying, “Sniper ATP will provide the BDF with critical targeting capability and will support greater overall mission success.”
He added, “With demand for Sniper ATP continuing to grow worldwide, we are committed to maintaining the pod’s proven reliability and sustainability.”
Sniper ATP is designed to detect, identify, track, and laser-designate small tactical targets at long range. It can be integrated onto a number of aircraft, primarily American-made planes but also European jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Bahrain’s neighbor Kuwait has placed orders for Sniper ATPs for its fighter jets in the last year, too. In September 2016, Lockheed Martin announced it would integrate 18 ATPs onto Kuwait’s Typhoons, which were purchased earlier that year. Several months ago, Lockheed Martin announced another deal with Kuwait, this time to integrate 14 Sniper ATPs onto Kuwaiti F/A-18C/Ds.
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
