Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system successfully intercepted an unmanned drone in the United States last week, in the battery’s first-ever trial on foreign soil.
Category Archives: Weapons Systems
USAF to Integrate Litening Pod onto Reaper
The US Air Force is to integrate the Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening targeting and designation pod onto the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to demonstrate the capability, it was disclosed on 12 April.
US Army Successfully Fires Stinger from New Launcher
The U.S. Army successfully fired a Stinger missile from its newest launch platform, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida on March 23. The missile was fired as part of a demonstration of the Army’s new Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept platform’s multi-mission launcher.
Israel May Purchase Loitering Munitions
The IDF is mulling the purchase of a new type of small drone that can hover in the area of a target and then dive down to destroy it with an explosive. During a press event in which the Israel Aerospace Industries showed off some of its unmanned products, an IAI executive said the military is interested in its Rotem drone. Continue reading
Brimstone Reaper Integration Still in Pipeline
MBDA is still hopeful its dual-mode Brimstone air-to-surface missile will be carried on General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles, as it awaits requirements that will lead to the next round of testing.
Pentagon Office Plans Drone Swarms
High over Alaska last summer, the Pentagon experimented with new, secret prototypes: Micro-drones that can be launched from the flare dispensers of moving F-16s and F/A-18 fighter jets. Canisters containing the tiny aircraft descended from the jets on parachutes before breaking open, allowing wings on each drone to swing out and catch the wind. Inch-wide propellers on the back provided propulsion as they found one another and created a swarm. Continue reading
US Army Issues RFI for Small Guided Munitions for UAS
The US Army recently issued a request for information for small guided munitions that can be outfitted to rotary wing and unmanned aerial systems.
Russia Unveils Anti-Tank Assault Multicopter
Russia has revealed a new concept whereby a multicopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been adapted to the anti-tank role with the fitting of cameras and a shoulder-launched rocket system.