Editing Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (section)

==In use==
[[Image:B-1B Lancer carrying the Sniper pod.jpg|thumb|A [[B-1 Lancer|B-1B Lancer]] carrying the Sniper pod (Front section)]]

In August 2001, the [[U.S. Air Force]] announced Lockheed Martin's Sniper as the winner of the Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) competition. The contract provides for pods and associated equipment, spares and support of the F-16 and F-15E aircraft for the entire force, active-duty Air Force and Air National Guard. 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. The follow-on Advanced Targeting Pod - Sensor Enhancement (ATP-SE) contract was split between the Lockheed Martin Sniper and the [[LITENING]].

In 2014, the USAF declared initial operational capability for the Sniper ATP-SE which included sensor and networking improvements.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2014/march/mfc-031704-us-air-force-declares-initial-capability.html |title= U.S. Air Force Declares Initial Operational Capability for Lockheed Martin's Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod – Sensor Enhancement |date=17 March 2014 |website=www.lockheedmartin.com |publisher=Lockheed Martin |access-date=17 March 2014}}</ref>

The Sniper is used on the U.S. Air Force [[B-52H Stratofortress]],<ref name=lockheed1000>[https://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/Sniper.html (22 September 2015) Sniper Pod] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040345/https://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/Sniper.html |date=2017-12-01 }} accessdate=2017-11-28</ref> [[B-1B Lancer]], [[F-15E Strike Eagle]], [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]], and [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]]. It was also used on the British [[BAE Harrier II|Harrier GR9]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baesystems.com/Newsroom/NewsReleases/autoGen_10741183645.html|title=SNIPER CONTRACT A HIT FOR UK HARRIER}}</ref> and the Canadian [[CF-18 Hornet]].<ref>{{citation |publisher=[[Jane's Defence Weekly]] |first=Caitlin |last=Harrington |title= Interview: Michael Wynne, US Secretary of the Air Force |date=March 28, 2007}}</ref> In 2016 Lockheed Martin announced that Kuwait would be the first country to use Sniper on the Eurofighter Typhoon.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.defenseworld.net/news/17209/Lockheed_Martin_Sniper_Targeting_Pods_For_Kuwaiti_Eurofighter_Typhoons |title=Lockheed Martin Sniper Targeting Pods For Kuwaiti Eurofighter Typhoons |date=28 September 2016 |website=www.defenseworld.net |publisher=Defense World |access-date=28 September 2016}}</ref> A team of [[Lockheed Martin UK]], [[BAE Systems]] and [[Leonardo S.p.A.]] (Selex S&AS at the time) has successfully demonstrated and flown a Sniper ATP on board a [[Tornado GR4]] combat aircraft.<ref name="tornado">{{cite web|url=http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk/news/317.html|title=Lockheed Martin uk demonstrates Sniper advanced targeting pod on board tornado gr4|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531032947/http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk/news/317.html|archive-date=2008-05-31}}</ref>

The Sniper came under fire in 2014 in the aftermath of a [[2014 Gaza Valley airstrike|deadly airstrike in Afghanistan]] that saw five American and one Afghan soldier killed when a B-1B bomber equipped with the pod could not detect the infrared strobe lights on the helmets of U.S. troops in a firefight, resulting in the deadliest case of [[friendly fire]] between American forces in the course of the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan War]].<ref name="Washington Post 2014">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/09/04/investigation-friendly-fire-airstrike-that-killed-u-s-special-forces-was-avoidable/|title=Investigation: Friendly fire airstrike that killed U.S. Special Forces was avoidable|date=2014-09-04|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2018-02-01}}</ref> 

On 27 March 2015, Lockheed Martin was awarded a sole-source contract by the US DOD worth $485 million firm fixed price with minimal cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity to provide multiple Sniper advanced targeting pods to the USAF.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/atp.htm|title=Sniper XR ATP - Advanced Targeting Pod - Smart Weapons|first=John|last=Pike}}</ref>

In 2024, the [[Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China)|Ministry of National Defense]] released footage confirming that the [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F16V]] fighter of the [[Republic of China Air Force]] used the pod to calibrate the [[Shenyang J-16|J-16D]] and [[Xi'an H-6|H-6K]] invading ADIZ.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202405260090.aspx|title=空軍披露F-16V狙擊手莢艙標定殲16畫面 學者推測共機渾然不知|date=26 May 2024 }}</ref>