Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
FILS is being developed to become the first assault rifle capable of tasking third-party effects such as remote weapon stations and RPAS. (Image: SEA)
The UK Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has revealed details about its Future Individual Lethality System (FILS) following the publication of ‘The Science Inside 2021’ document.
Published on 3 December 2021, the document describes how Dstl is responding to complex and emerging threats to the UK.
Dstl continues to develop the FILS technology demonstrator with industry partners from SEA, Qioptiq and Lantac as the team aims to deliver a ‘next-generation prototype assault rifle with increased range, integrated data and power and a radically improved fused multispectral Surveillance and Target Acquisition system’, according to programme officials.
Speaking to Shephard, Dstl
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Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
The Israeli company hopes that producing its Sigma artillery system wholly in the US will help it win a key US Army contract, but it will be up against the popular CAESAR Mk II wheeled weapon and the K9 tracked.
Germany has ordered 84 RCH 155 self-propelled guns, as system incorporating Boxer 8×8 vehicles and the Artillery Gun Module, and 200 Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles while the UK has committed to a single Early Capability Demonstrator RCH 155.
While integration of guided weapons on modern armoured vehicles usually takes the form of a podded launcher on the turret exterior, recent developments suggest the concept of firing missiles from a tank’s main gun could be seeing a revival.
The order is a further boost for the Common Armoured Vehicles System programme which has notched notable successes in the past 12 months. The first vehicle, made in Finland, will be delivered next year with local production expected to ramp up in 2027.
The French and German governments signed an agreement in June 2018 to cooperate on the development of a new main battle tank under the Main Ground Combat System programme but the effort has struggled. This new agreement may damage it further.