Teledyne FLIR introduces Rogue 1 recoverable loitering munition system

Teledyne FLIR Defense has unveiled its next generation of loitering munition with recoverable capabilities at SOF Week 2024 in Tampa. Rogue 1 is a small UAS designed to provide versatility and survivability, and to be remotely disarmed, safely recovered and reused when targets are disengaged or missions are aborted.

Speaking to Shephard, Brian Bills, director of UAS products within Teledyne FLIR, claimed that it 'is an entirely new system from the ground up'.

Rogue 1 features a vertical take-off and landing architecture, enabling it to target enemy forces in congested areas. It is engineered to use three different payloads: explosively formed penetrator (EFP), forward fragmenting and non-lethal trainer warheads.

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The EFP is an anti-armour payload, while the fragmentary warhead can be deployed to engage dismounted targets.

The non-lethal trainer, in turn, is intended to enable preparing operators without the need to expand munition. Dave Viens, the company’s VP of business development-US, pointed out that it provides cost savings to retraining users and an increase in proficiency.

'They can fly it a thousand times in practice. The system can be perennially reused and then deployed with a live warhead when needed,' Viens stressed. 'It is also less burden logistically on the organisation.'

Rogue 1 is equipped with electro-optical and FLIR Boson 640+ thermal cameras to deliver day/night long-range reconnaissance and surveillance.

A coupling between its sensors and warhead in the gimballed payload is intended to provide extremely precise targeting and minimise collateral damage, according to Teledyne FLIR.

This system provides a 30-minute flight time being able to reach more than 70 m/h (113 km/h) and a range greater than six miles (10 km).

Moreover, its features are engineered to enable deployment in contested communication and GPS-denied environments.

'We have fused so many sensors into this platform,' Bills claimed. 'When the aircraft is jammed from a GPS perspective, it is able to use its downward facing sensors to continue the mission kind of independent of GPS.'

Rogue 1 sUAS is designed to be operated in contested environments. (Photo: Teledyne FLIR Defense)

In terms of communication capabilities, it is equipped with a radio that can switch frequencies if it is being jammed in order to allow the system to continue to operate.

'It lowers cognitive demand operation of the aircraft. Once the operator has highlighted the target of interest and clicks engage, at that point, it is fully autonomous,' Bills explained.

Before being launched, the solution passed through a series of tests involving armoured, soft-skinned and dismounted targets.

Teledyne FLIR is offering the Rogue 1 for the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) programme of the US Marine Corps (USMC).

Under this effort, in April, the company received an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $249 million and will deliver an initial order of 127 systems to the Marines later this summer.

This system has also been assessed by the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) under the Ground Organic Precision Strike Systems (GOPSS) programme.

Bills noted that the development of Rogue 1 started in 2020 before the Ukraine conflict. 'So, even prior to all of that, we saw a whole gap in the loitering munition market space.'