On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, the U.S. company RTX published details of the contract signed on November 7 last year for the delivery of dual-band MS-110 MARS reconnaissance system pods for Polish F-16 Jastrząb multirole aircraft, which are being upgraded to the F-16V standard.
Photo: RTX
While last year’s notification specified the exact value of the order, 197,241,157 USD (718.689 million PLN at that time), it did not disclose the number of sets ordered by the Armament Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defence. It has now been revealed that seven sets will be delivered.
Dan Theisen, President of Advanced Products and Solutions at Raytheon, stated: “The MS-110 system brings advanced capability by pushing next-generation processing to the tactical edge to defeat camouflage and decoys in near real time. This capability empowers the U.S. and our allies to maintain a strategic advantage… by bolstering survivability, responsiveness and wide area surveillance.”
The contract, to be carried out by Goodrich Corporation (part of Collins Aerospace, which in turn is part of RTX), also includes the delivery of ground stations, the implementation of an engineering support program, the supply of ancillary equipment, data transmission capabilities, one-time engineering, spare parts, technical manuals, and field survey, installation, and inspection services. The work will be performed in Westford, Massachusetts, and is scheduled for completion by July 31, 2031. The contract is being executed under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Poland, and at the time of award initial funding of 33,590,355 USD (122.393 million PLN at the time) was obligated.
The F-16C/D Block 52+ Jastrząb multirole aircraft currently operate Goodrich DB-110 imagery reconnaissance pods (seven units along with two ground stations). The military had been seeking their successors for some time. The analytical and conceptual phase of this effort was conducted starting on July 12, 2017 by the then Armaments Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defence. The procurement procedure using a negotiated approach began on October 6, 2020. According to information provided to the MILMAG editorial team on February 16, 2021, two foreign entities submitted bids in this procedure: the Israeli company Elta Systems and the U.S. company Goodrich Corporation.
Ultimately, the latter was selected, in line with information from October 23, 2024, when the U.S. Department of State approved a potential sale to Poland of a Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) package to the Viper standard for all 48 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 52+ Advanced multirole aircraft for a maximum value of 7.3 billion USD (29.4 billion PLN; currently 47 aircraft remain in service). The main contract, negotiated at 3.8 billion USD net, was signed on August 13, 2025.
Goodrich Corporation offered the dual-band MS-110 MARS reconnaissance system in question, which was developed based on experience with the aforementioned DB-110—the two systems share a common support and imagery processing infrastructure.
Current DB-110 operators have the option to upgrade their pods to the MS-110 configuration at their own infrastructure facilities, reducing costs and operational downtime for this key reconnaissance asset. “The multispectral features of the MS-110 pod enhance intelligence analysts’ ability to extract critical information from a wide range of targets whose imagery has been collected,” the manufacturer states.
The system comprises, in addition to the airborne pods, mobile ground data reception stations (Transportable Ground Station) and a fixed data reception center (Fixed Ground Station). On July 14, 2023, it was reported that year-long flight trials with the system had been completed.
To date, the MS-110 MARS has been integrated with combat aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16, as well as ISR-class reconnaissance aircraft based on business jet airframes for special missions. The system is also compatible with MALE-class unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the MQ-9 family. The MS-110 MARS pod leverages Collins Aerospace’s proven expertise in multispectral imaging (MSI), using the high-resolution, 10-band SYERS-2C sensor developed for the high-altitude Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft (flight trials with Lockheed Martin were completed on February 18, 2020).
Poland will become the next export user of the MS-110 MARS after Taiwan (reportedly around 16 sets) and three undisclosed customers that have so far ordered 13 sets.
Compatible with multiple aircraft platforms, the MS-110 system advanced processing and multispectral imaging deliver superior intelligence, enhancing survivability and wide area surveillance for allied forces.
— RTX (@RTX_News) January 29, 2026
