Lockheed Martin Sniper XR The Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod ( ATP ) , designated AN / AAQ - 33 in U . S . Military Service , provides positive target identification , autonomous tracking , coordinate generation , and precise weapons guidance from extended standoff ranges . The Sniper ATP is used on the F - 15E Strike Eagle , F - 16 Fighting Falcon , A - 10 Thunderbolt II aircraft , B - 1 ( Rod Pod ) , UK Harrier GR9 , and Canadian CF - 18 Hornet . The Sniper ATP is in service with Norway , Oman , Poland , Singapore , Canada , Belgium , Turkey , Saudi Arabia and the UK MoD . In July 2007 , Sniper ATP was acquired by Pakistan , making it the tenth country in the world to be in possession of the Sniper pod . The Sniper ATP contains a laser designator and tracker for guiding laser - guided bomb s . The pod also features a third - generation FLIR receiver and a CCD television camera . FLIR allows observation and tracking in low light / no light situations , while the CCD camera allows the same functions during day time operations . A team of Lockheed Martin UK , BAE Systems and SELEX Galileo ( formerly Selex S & AS ) has successfully demonstrated and flown a Sniper ATP on board a Tornado GR4 combat aircraft . The U . S . Air Force initial seven - year contract for Sniper ATP has potential value in excess of $ 843 million . The Sniper ATP has delivered over 125 pods and the U . S . Air Force plans to procure at least 522 Sniper ATPs . PANTERA is the export equivalent to the Lockheed Martin Sniper Extended Range ( XR ) targeting pod . The Lockheed Martin F - 35 Lightning II is built with the equivalent of the Sniper XR in its onboard sensors . Background . In August 2001 , the U . S . Air Force announced Lockheed Martin ' s Sniper as the winner of the ATP competition . The contract provides for pods and associated equipment , spares , and support of the F - 16 and F - 15E aircraft for the total force , active - duty Air Force and Air National Guard . Follow - on acquisitions are expected for the A - 10 and B - 1 . Design . The Sniper ATP is a single , lightweight pod with much lower aerodynamic drag than the legacy systems it replaces . The Sniper possesses advanced targeting technology and its image processing allows aircrews to detect and identify tactical - size targets outside threat rings for the destruction of enemy air defense mission , as well as outside jet noise ranges for urban counter - insurgency operations . It offers a 3 - 5 times increase in detection range over the legacy LANTIRN system . It is currently flying on the U . S . Air Force and multinational F - 16 , F - 15 , B - 1 , CF - 18 , Harrier , A - 10 , B - 52 and Tornado aircraft . The Sniper ATP incorporates a multi - spectral sensor capability with a high - resolution , mid - wave third - generation FLIR and a CCD - TV . Advanced sensors , combined with advanced image processing algorithms and rock - steady stabilization produce target identification ranges that permit operations minimizing exposure to many threat systems . The dual - mode laser offers an eye safe mode for urban combat and training operations , along with a laser - guided bomb designation laser for guiding in these precision munitions . For target coordination with ground and air forces , a laser spot tracker , a laser marker , and a TV quality video down link to joint terminal air controllers improve rapid target detection / identification . Sniper ATP provides high - resolution imagery highly sought after for the non - traditional intelligence , surveillance , and reconnaissance mission . Sniper ATP is the only targeting pod being used in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom on F - 16s and F - 15Es . For ease of maintenance , Sniper ATP ' s revolutionary optical bed design , optimal partitioning , and diagnostic capabilities permit true two - level maintenance , eliminating costly intermediate - level support . Automated built - in test permits a flightline maintainer to isolate and replace an LRU in under 20 minutes to get the pod back up to full mission capable status .