Northrop Grumman says its LITENING precision targeting and sensor systems currently in use with US and allied forces have surpassed 600,000 operational hours. USAF has deployed the system on A-10, B-52, F-15E, and F-16 aircraft. In its statement, Northrop also noted that more than half of the 600K hours were amassed during combat conditions.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air Force to spend on other…