Israeli-made targeting pod used to kill al Zarqawi
Rafael's Litening system marks the target, guides the ordinance with lasers,
and evaluates damage.
Amnon Barzilai GLOBES 18 Jun 06 10:37
www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=1000103136&fid=942

Abu Musab al Zarqawi, al-Qaida's top terrorist in Iraq, was killed with help
of Israeli target acquisition technology fitted onto a US Air Force F-16.
Rafael Armament Development Authority Ltd. supplies Litening advanced
airborne infrared targeting and navigation pod to Northrop Grumman
(NYSE:NOC), which installs them on combat jets under a cooperation
agreement. The Israel Air Force also uses the Litening.

According to a report by senior US Air Force officers, al Zarqawi was killed
by a pair of USAF F-16s on a routine mission in central Iraq, when the
decision to act was taken. USAF commander in Iraq, Lt.-Gen. Gary North said
the fighters carried a variety of laser and GPS-guided ordinance and the
Litening pod.

The Litening pod has target-acquisition capability, laser spot detection and
tracking and a video camera. For the Zarqawi strike, the pilot activated the
system from 20,000 feet, guided a 250kg. bomb to its target, and then used
pod's video camera to examine the resulting damage. A second bomb was then
dropped, which killed al Zarqawi.

In a media briefing, senior USAF officers mentioned Litening's role in
locating the target. "Aviation Week" said that the pod was Northrop Grumman's
but did not mention that the technology was Israeli, developed at Rafael.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on
June 18, 2006