Universal Launcher for Small Drones Being Tested by US Army Development Shop 

Date:

Washington: On the US Army’s quest to fire the new category of launched effects from ground robots and aircraft, a development shop is working on a universal launcher and eyeing an off-ramp for having industry mass produce it, according to two Army officials.

“We’ve completed the design and [are] testing of the sub elements,” one official with the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command said earlier this month at the Project Convergence Capstone 5 event. “We’re going to go into … integrated testing in about a month and that will lead into air and ground demonstrations this summer.”

ads

Launched effects are essentially a small drone that shoots out of something else mid-flight to collect information or strike targets. The service envisions an arsenal with at least three different ranges — short, medium and long — and has moved forward with the first two categories.

In the meantime, DEVCOM has also been working on a launcher for those short- and medium-range weapons. The goal, the two officials said, is to produce a universal launcher the service can integrate onto aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS), as well as manned and unmanned ground vehicles.

Last year the development shop fired the launcher from a trailer, a Humvee and a Polaris Dagor vehicle, and the duo said that they also envision the launcher being integrated onto unmanned platforms like a Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) robotic mule.

“We are working on having a remote lock capability for the ground launcher and our goal is to work with GVSC [Ground Vehicle Systems Centre] on their ground robot,” the second official said.

big bang

The tentative plan is to prove out launcher development and create a technical data package that the service owns. At that point, an acquisition shop can host a competition for vendors interested in producing it.

“The beauty of that is they can mass produce it but also give specifications about the [launched effects] going inside,” the second official added.

huges

More like this

Expanding India-EU Maritime Cooperation: EUNAVFOR Ships Make Maiden Visit to India

New Delhi: ESPS Reina Sofia, commanded by Cdr Salvador...

Subir K Saha Assumes Charge as Executive Director of Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipore

Kolkata: Subir Kumar Saha has assumed the charge of...

Iran’s High-Level Uranium Enrichment Raises Serious Concerns: IAEA Reports 

Tel Aviv: The nuclear talks between the US and...

The Silent Leak

In modern defence ecosystems, data is no longer scarce....

Modern Wars Have No Fronts, No Rears Battle Zones

“Wars have become dirty. With thousands of innocent civilians...

Operation Sindoor is India’s Frontal Assault Against Terrorism: Defence Minister Onboard INS Vikrant

New Delhi: “Operation Sindoor is not just a military...

D328eco® Test Aircraft Rolls Out: A defining Milestone in Sustainable Regional Aviation

Wessling. Deutsche Aircraft has proudly unveiled the first D328eco...
Indian Navy Special EditionLatest Issue