Lockheed Martin says it recently completed the second phase of work to integrate its Sniper targeting pod onto Air Force B-52H bombers. In the latest series of flight tests, Sniper demonstrated its ability to operate on the B-52, said the company in a release. “The Sniper pod demonstrated exceptional high-altitude performance,” said Maj. Chris Chandler, 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron operations flight commander. He added, “The picture quality was just unreal” and “the range from which I could identify targets was equally impressive.” The Sniper will give B-52 aircrews the ability to positively identify targets at long range and downlink video imagery to ground troops. In August, Lockheed said it received a contract for phase 3 work, which entails full integration of the Sniper on the B-52 with some pod improvements. B-52s have already flown missions with Northrop Grumman’s Litening pod.
Gen. Dan Caine was confirmed as the 22nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by the Senate early April 11, making history as the first Air National Guardsman to take on the nation's top uniformed job.