THE nation's F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft will be equipped with
upgraded target designation systems under a $100-million project
announced by the Government today.

Defence Minister Robert Hill said the state-of-the-art systems would
improve the detection, identification, precision targeting and damage
assessment phases of F/A-18 strike operations.

"This means the aircraft will be better equipped to detect and attack
targets by day or night, increasing their operational effectiveness
and reducing risk to aircraft and crew," Senator Hill said.

The project would equip the Hornets with a present generation
targeting and laser designation system, upgrading the Nite Hawk
Forward Looking Infra-red pod with new technology.

Defence will assess three systems: the Advanced Targeting Forward
Looking Infra-Red (ATFLIR) pod manufactured by Raytheon, the Pantera
pod manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and the Litening AT pod
manufactured by RAFAEL and Northrop Grumman.
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