The pods will be delivered to Tactical Squadron No. 31 "Boelcke", equipped with Eurofighter fighter aircrafts
| 24/01/2022 
Photo from Rafael website
The Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the German Army (BAAINBw) has agreed with the Israeli company Rafael on the supplementary procurement of Litening systems, target designation tools used by attack aircraft for identifying targets and guiding Precision-guided munition (PGM).
The German website esut.de reports that Rafael delivers the Litening reconnaissance containers directly to Nörvenich, the location of the Tactical Air Force Squadron 31 "Boelcke", which is equipped with the Eurofighter fighter aircrafts. These Litening systems will join other systems that according to media reports have been handed over to the German Air Force in recent years.
The 220 kg Litening reconnaissance pods are in the LDP III version and have thermal imaging and daylight sensors and a laser illuminator in the rotatable optical head. The illuminator can be locked onto a target and follow it automatically. It serves as a targeting aid for bombs and missiles with a laser seeker. According to Rafael, the LDP III is certified for 26 types of combat aircraft, including the Eurofighter and Tornado.
