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.
Category Archives: Weapons Systems
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.
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