Boeing has awarded Lockheed Martin with the Phase II contract of US Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block II Infrared Search and Track (IRST) program. Under the $108 Million worth contract, Lockheed Martin will complete development, platform integration, flight testing, and qualification of the IRST21 Block II sensor system. These efforts will further enhance IRST21's proven detection, tracking and ranging capabilities in radar-denied environments.
The IRST21 sensor system uses state of the art infrared search and track technology to passively detect and track airborne threats in radar-denied environments. Contributing to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, IRST21 will deliver a critical warfighting capability to meet any threat and directly support U.S. Combatant Commanders' operational demands. Currently, it is mounted in the nose of the F/A-18E/F's centerline fuel tank and in Legion Pod for other fighter and on-fighter platforms.
Lockheed Martin's IRST sensor system is in full rate production and has logged more than 300,000 flight hours on the U.S. Navy's F-14 and F/A-18E/F, international F-15 platforms, and the U.S. Air Force's F-15C and F-16.
