The US Army has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman to modernise the Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder 2H (LLDR 2H) man-portable, day-and-night and all-weather targeting system.
Under the $17.6m contract, Northrop Grumman will retrofit the target locator modules (TLMs) with a high-accuracy capability as part of the modernisation effort.
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LLDR allows operators to acquire, precisely locate and engage targets at safe distances.
The LLDR 2H system features high-accuracy targeting and can provide high-resolution sensors for fire-support target acquisition and reconnaissance missions.
It integrates a digital magnetic compass with a celestial navigation system to provide highly accurate target location and long-range imaging.
Using these target coordinates, the soldier can call for fire with precision GPS-guided munitions.
Northrop Grumman land and avionics C4ISR vice-president Bob Gough said: “The LLDR has been at the core of army ground targeting for more than a decade, and the innovations in the 2H provide even greater accuracy to support the army’s missions into the future.”
The company noted that its thermal diode pumping technology for designation enables the LLDR 2H system to consume less power when compared to older lasers.
The solution also delivers greater output energy and lower beam divergence.
Northrop Grumman has so far delivered more than 2,700 LLDR systems.
The TLM-2H is a key component of the LLDR 2H system and consists of a celestial high-accuracy azimuth device, a digital magnetic compass, and embedded GPS / SAASM receiver.
The company demonstrated the capabilities of the TLM to the US Army in 2012.
