UV Online
Weaponising UAS Gathers Pace
Combat operations from Kosovo to Afghanistan over the past decade have convinced the US military and many allied armed forces that the era of ‘weaponised unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is “here to stay”.
Speaking at the Shephard UV Europe event in July, Ryan Hartman, director of unmanned systems for Raytheon, said the trend to weaponise unmanned aerial system (UAS) was across “all tiers” of systems, because of their “ability to compress the kill chain”. He said weaponised UAS potential has not been fully realized”.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control’s business develop director for tactical missiles and manuevre systems, John Morris, told the event at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales, that “UAS missiles are the Global War on Terror weapon”. He said “range, surprise, accuracy are worth their weight in operational effect”.
Both executives predicted that there would be significant growth in the market for weapons specially developed for employment from UAS, beyond the current generations of ordnance. These existing weapons are all adopted for systems used on fixed wing aircraft and are not ideal for use from UAS air vehicles.
Hartman identified four gaps in the market place, including weapons in the 10 to 15lb, 50 to 80lb, 250lb and 1000lb range. Raytheon is developing a future portfolio of UAS weapons, with three main products known as the Small Tactical Missile, the Tactical Missile and the Monson Concept weapon.
Lockheed Martin is in the process of fielding a specialized UAS variant of the Hellfire II missile, extending the capabilities of the AGM-114P currently used on USAF Predator and Reaper UAVs, to include off-axis engagement capabilities. Morris said Lockheed Martin were also developing new weapons for UAS, including two 70mm guided rockets, dubbed the 10lb Shadow Hawk and the 25lb DAGM. The Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile is expected to be the company’s offering in the future large UAS weapon class.
By Tim Ripley, Newport, Wales
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