2003 Iraq War

LITENING II Pod in the 2003 Iraq War

U.S. Air Force B-52 crews used a LITENING II targeting pod during Operation Iraqi Freedom to identify and laser-designate airfield targets in northern Iraq for GBU-12 laser-guided bombs.

Weapon profileLITENING II Pod
SideUnited States and coalition forcesRoleTargeting SupportReconnaissance & Surveillance
LITENING II Pod, Electro-optical/infrared targeting pod, Support Equipment - 2003 Iraq War
Image source: Commons USMC-18310 Litening II

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. B-52 crews used a LITENING II targeting pod in Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 11, 2003.

Sources: B-52 Litening II pod used in combat

The pod supported target identification and laser designation for GBU-12 Paveway II bombs against a radar complex and a command complex at a northern Iraq airfield.

Sources: B-52 Litening II pod used in combat

B-52 integration was accelerated so crews could verify targets, self-designate laser-guided bombs, generate coordinates, and record bomb-damage-assessment video.

Sources: B-52 dons new upgrade

Timeline

LITENING II Pod In 2003 Iraq War

  1. B-52 integration publicly described

    Air Force coverage reported that the B-52 was capable of using the LITENING II pod after an accelerated integration and operational utility evaluation effort.

    Sources: B-52 dons new upgrade

  2. LITENING II used in combat over northern Iraq

    A U.S. Air Force B-52 crew used a LITENING II targeting pod to identify and designate targets at a northern Iraq airfield for two GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs.

    Sources: B-52 Litening II pod used in combat

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The U.S. Air Force documented combat use of the LITENING II targeting pod in Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 11, 2003. A B-52 Stratofortress crew used the pod during a strike on targets at an airfield in northern Iraq, with U.S. Central Command's combined air operations center cited as the source for the event.

The same Air Force report states that reservists from the 93rd Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base and active-duty airmen from the 23rd Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base flew the bomber from a forward-deployed location. Using the LITENING II system, they released one GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb on a radar complex and another on a command complex at the airfield.

Sources: B-52 Litening II pod used in combat

Timeline

On April 9, 2003, Air Force coverage described the rapid B-52 integration effort and said the aircraft was then capable of using the LITENING II pod. The integration work had been accelerated to improve the B-52's ability to employ laser-guided munitions and to let crews verify and designate targets themselves.

On April 11, 2003, a B-52 used the pod in combat over northern Iraq. The April 12 Air Force report described that sortie as the first time in combat history that a B-52 used a LITENING II targeting pod to strike targets.

Sources: B-52 dons new upgrade, B-52 Litening II pod used in combat

Narrative

In the 2003 Iraq War, the documented role of the LITENING II pod was airborne target identification and laser designation for precision bombing. The Air Force described the pod as providing real-time imagery so B-52 crews could identify targets in a changing battlefield environment and then designate them for laser-guided weapons without depending on another aircraft or ground designator.

The combat example in northern Iraq matched the pre-combat integration rationale described two days earlier. Air Force test and integration coverage emphasized target verification, self-lasing, coordinate generation, and battle-damage-assessment recording as the capabilities sought for B-52 crews; the documented April 11 mission used the pod for target identification and designation during an actual Operation Iraqi Freedom strike.

Sources: B-52 Litening II pod used in combat, B-52 dons new upgrade

Related Weapons by Role

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Sources