The U.S. Navy and Air National Guard recently awarded Lockheed Martin, a global defense technology company, a $233 million firm-fixed-price contract to deliver IRST21 Block II systems and initial spares.
IRST21 is an infrared search and track (IRST) sensor that passively detects and tracks airborne targets at extended ranges. IRST21 Block II cuts decision making time and boosts warfighter situational awareness by delivering longer range detection and faster target data. It operates passively without emitting a signal and is resistant to electronic jamming.
The contract is for the Block II variant. The variant features cutting edge optics, advanced processors and algorithms that significantly increase threat-detection range and provide tracking and targeting data.
“IRST21 Block II delivers a game-changing leap in passive warfighting capabilities across multiple platforms,” Cristin Stengel, Lockheed Martin IRST21 program director, said. “By significantly enhancing the range and accuracy to enable weapon employment in challenging environments, this system ensures pilots remain ahead of evolving adversaries and mission-ready at all times.”
IRST21 is mounted on the nose of the centerline fuel tank of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to complement the aircraft’s AN/APG-79 radar. IRST21 is embedded in a ready-now modular, externally mounted Legion Pod on the F-15 and F-16.