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.
Category Archives: Weapons Systems
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.
General Atomics Plans 150kW Laser Tests on Avenger
General Atomics is to start testing a potentially revolutionary weapon next month: a 150-kilowatt class laser. Several other companies are developing laser weapons and “we’re looking at all of them,” said Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, in an interview with Breaking Defense. Continue reading
Venom Counters UAS Threat with Lasers
At the US Army Maneuver-Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) held at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Venom demonstrated the ability to identify and track small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and to provide accurate targeting data while on the move. This targeting capability enabled other systems in the network to counter the UAS. Continue reading
Spain Wants to Arm its MQ-9 Fleet
Spain has confirmed that it will eventually try to weaponise its future fleet of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air vehicles, although the immediate priority is to bring the surveillance-only variant into operation. Continue reading
US Army Watches Hero 30 Loitering Weapon Demo
UVision has conducted a demonstration of its Hero 30 expendable unmanned air system in southern Israel for the US Army’s special operations command. US sources say that during the live demonstration, the Hero 30 hit its designated targets “with great accuracy”. Continue reading