Indonesia Orders Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod For F-16 Falcons

Indonesia will equip its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets with Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod under an agreement signed during the US Vice President Mike Pence visit to Jakarta last week.

According to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, this agreement signed on April 21 is part of a $10 billion trade and investment agreement between the United States and Indonesia.

However, the exact amount of the contract and the pods to be acquired are not known yet, although procurement plans from 2014 indicated Indonesia was seeking 16 pods.

The embassy’s statement also said the pods “will enhance Indonesia’s maritime and territorial defenses while operating seamlessly with the United States and other regional partners,” adding that they are for the Indonesian F-16A/B fighters stationed at Iswahyudi Air Base in the eastern part of the main Indonesian island of Java. 

The Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod provides improved, long-range target detection, identification and continuous stabilized surveillance for all missions, including close-air support of ground forces and visually identifying airborne targets at long range. The pod can also be used to support the employment of a wide range of precision-guided munitions, using its laser marker and spot tracker as well as providing weapons-quality coordinates for laser- and GPS-guided weapons.