Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD -- The first Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) pod for the SHAred Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) program was delivered to the U.S. Navy on June 24. Accepting delivery for the Naval Air Systems Command was the test team of the Advanced Weapons Lab, Naval Air Warfare Center, at China Lake, Calif. This delivery was the first of five EMD pods manufactured by the Raytheon Company and will be utilized in the upcoming weeks for developmental testing and integration on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

The SHARP system is designed to provide high and medium altitude tactical reconnaissance capability tactical aircraft. Fleet introduction of SHARP will be on the F/A-18F for deployment aboard the USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) in mid-2003. The system is planned to be compatible with the F/A-18 C and D Hornet variants.

SHARP is a multi-functioned reconnaissance pod, adaptable to several airborne platforms for tactical manned airborne reconnaissance. It is capable of simultaneous airborne and ground screening capabilities. The pod, which is carried on the F/A-18 centerline with a standard 30-inch attachment, has a 1760 interface to aircraft, and is the size of a 330-gallon fuel tank. It has been developed with state of the art sensors (manufactured by Recon Optical Inc) to satisfy Navy tactical airborne reconnaissance, and also as a replacement for the Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS), currently flown on the F-14 Tomcat.

Subsequent pods delivered by Raytheon will be shipped to different venues for various types of developmental testing, scheduled to take place this summer and fall.

For more information concerning the SHARP program or the F/A-18 aircraft, contact Denise Deon Wilson at 301-481-6263 or visit http://pma265.navair.navy.mil.

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Caption: SHARP Pod Flown on F/A-18E Super Hornet