HN: Lockheed Martin, Textron Offer Weapons Designs For Unmanned Aircraft

Lockheed Martin, Textron Offer Weapons Designs For Unmanned Aircraft
Helicopter News 04/04/2006
Author: Michael Sirak
Companies, including Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Textron [TXT], are stepping forward with innovative weapons concepts to support the Air Force's emerging interest in bomb and missile designs that are tailored for use from tactical unmanned aircraft, according to industry officials.

The Air Force issued a call to industry in December 2005 for information on innovative precision-guided surface-attack weapons, 100 pounds or smaller, that could be carried on currently fielded unmanned aerial systems (UAS) like General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' MQ-1 and MQ-9 Predators and the Army's MQ-5 Hunter, built by Northrop Grumman [NOC]. It also wanted the weapons designs to factor UAS in development like the former's Warrior Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) platform being built for the Army, as well as smaller platforms.

Among the performance parameters, the Air Force asked for weapons systems capable of being deployed at altitudes up to 30,000 feet and able to provide close air support in complex terrain and urban canyons. It also wanted the option for these systems to be integrated into a battlefield command-and-control network.

Aerospace | Engineering