Support Equipment

LITENING II Pod

Also known as

AN/AAQ-28
AN/AAQ-28 Litening II
Litening II targeting pod
LITENING pod

LITENING II is the earlier AN/AAQ-28 electro-optical targeting pod developed by Rafael and Northrop Grumman, fielded in 1999 with a 256 FLIR, CCD-TV, laser designator, laser rangefinder, and laser spot tracker before later ER and AT upgrades.

LITENING II Pod, Targeting pod, Support Equipment

Image source: Commons USMC-18310 Litening II

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Israel / United States
Built by: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems; Northrop Grumman
Type: Targeting pod
Service note: 1999-2003
Unit cost: $1.4 million (Air Force fact sheet, current as of August 2015)

precision fires sensor surveillance

Specifications

Role: Electro-optical/infrared targeting and strike-support pod
Sensors: 256 FLIR, CCD-TV, laser designator, laser rangefinder, and laser spot tracker
Physical data: 87 in length; 16 in diameter; 440 lb
Fielding: Initial fielding in 1999

Variants

LITENING ER
LITENING AT

Carrier Aircraft

NAVAIR describes the AV-8B Harrier II Plus transformation as adding extended war-fighting capability with LITENING II Targeting Pods.

Carrier

Carrier type

Carriage evidence

AV-8B Harrier II, Vertical/short takeoff and landing attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

AV-8B Harrier II

V/STOL attack aircraft

NAVAIR said the AV-8B Harrier II Plus configuration gains extended war-fighting capability using LITENING II Targeting Pods.

Sources: NAVAIR AV-8B Litening II

Timeline

LITENING II Pod Key Events

Jan 1, 1995
Joint development work continues
The Air Force fact sheet says Northrop Grumman and Rafael continued development after the original LITENING pod work and before later family variants.
Sources: LITENING ADVANCE TARGETING
Jan 1, 1999
LITENING II fielding begins
The Air Force fact sheet says LITENING II was initially fielded with Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command F-16s in 1999.
Sources: LITENING ADVANCE TARGETING
Jan 1, 2001
AV-8B integration appears in NAVAIR reporting
NAVAIR described the AV-8B Harrier II Plus transformation as adding extended war-fighting capability with LITENING II Targeting Pods.
Sources: NAVAIR AV-8B Litening II
Jan 1, 2003
LITENING AT enters production context
The Air Force fact sheet places the later LITENING AT upgrade in 2003, after the earlier LITENING II configuration had already entered service.
Sources: LITENING ADVANCE TARGETING

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: Initially fielded with Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command F-16s in 1999.

Media

LITENING II Pod Images

LITENING II Pod, Targeting pod, Support Equipment - view 1 — Source: Commons A-10 LITENING II image

LITENING II Pod, Targeting pod, Support Equipment - view 2 — Source: Commons Litening Pod on FA-18

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Sources

LITENING ADVANCE TARGETINGPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports the LITENING family description, Northrop Grumman and Rafael development context, LITENING II initial fielding in 1999, the 256 FLIR/CCD-TV/laser designator/laser rangefinder/laser spot tracker sensor suite, physical dimensions, and the listed unit cost. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 NAVAIR AV-8B Litening IIPublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports the AV-8B Harrier II Plus transformation using LITENING II Targeting Pods for extended war-fighting capability. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Commons USMC-18310 Litening IIPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the AV-8B-mounted LITENING pod photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Commons A-10 LITENING II imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the A-10 photograph showing the LITENING advanced targeting pod. | Accessed: 2026-06-27 Commons Litening Pod on FA-18Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the F/A-18 Litening pod photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-27