Malaysia Approved For Sniper Pod Deal

The US Department of State greenlit a possible sale of AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs) from Lockheed Martin for the fleet of Boeing F/A-18D Hornet fighters operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). In a statement released by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on May 7, it stated that 10 of the pods had been approved for sale after Malaysia’s government submitted a request. The pods could also possibly be equipped on the RMAF’s future fleet of Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 aircraft.

“The Government of Malaysia has requested to buy ten (10) AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods. Also included are technical data and publications; personnel training; software and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $80 million. The proposed sale will improve Malaysia’s capability to meet current and future threats by modernizing its current F/A-18D platform with a common targeting pod. This proposed sale will also mitigate future obsolescence concerns and allow the Royal Malaysian Air Force to meet future operational requirements. Malaysia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces,” the statement added.-shp/adj/dl (Pix:Lockheed Martin)