Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of an F-16 with the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., as the aircraft taxies after the first flight of an F-16 with the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) in September, 2024.

Northrop Grumman [NOC] believes its LITENING Large Aperture (LA) pod undergoing operational test with the Air Force will be able to contribute to the defeat of adversary drones, a company executive told reporters on Monday. The LITENING LA pod has six electro-optical/infrared sensors "that allow you to detect, acquire, ID, and track various targets at extended ranges, and so you see a much broader spectrum," said Mike Minahan, vice president of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. "I can tell you as…