ihs.com
Jane's International Defence Review
[Content preview – Subscribe to Jane’s International Defence Review for full article]
Strike out: unmanned systems set for wider attack
role
Unmanned strike has for the most part been the preserve of larger systems, but now weapons are set to
be rolled out across a range of UASs. Huw Williams examines the options
While the bulk of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations remain focused on intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, it is their strike role that often garners much of the public's attention.
However, with the utility of arming UASs now widely recognised by operators, a number of efforts are
under way to broaden the range of munitions that can be carried by these platforms as well as the classes
of UASs that can be equipped with an offensive payload.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator UAS family is closely associated with UAS strike and while
the munitions that they are equipped with - Hellfire and GBU-12 Laser Guided Bomb - have seen extensive
service in a number of theatres, their use was initially down to their availability and compatibility with the
aircraft - as was the case of the US Army's choice of Viper Strike on board its Hunter aircraft.
At the time when these were first pressed into service, UAS-specific munitions were not available to the US
military. Now operators and industry alike are seeking munitions that can be used to engage the target sets
that Hellfire and others have been employed against, with extreme precision and low-collateral damage at
the forefront of design requirements.
"Back in 2012 we started to look at the market and noticed trends moving towards precision-guided lowcollateral damage weapons that can be carried on a variety of manned and unmanned platforms,"
explained Rory Doherty, business capture lead for the Fury munition at Textron Systems' Weapon and
Sensor Systems business unit.
[Continued in full version…]
A distinct split can largely be seen in weaponisation efforts. The lightweight munitions under development
that are able to equip tactical UASs often benefit from technology developed for larger weapons that were
designed for manned aircraft, while medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UASs - like the Predator
family of aircraft - seem set to continue being equipped with munitions directly ported from manned
platforms or to carry multiple, smaller weapons.
The Textron/Thales programme is one such system that draws on technology developed for other
weapons. "In March 2013 we signed a teaming arrangement to work together to bring parts of [Thales']
Lightweight Multirole Missile and the G-CLAW, which is our 50 lb [23 kg] SAL [semi-active laser] precisionguided weapon together to form Fury, which is a 12.5 lb weapon. Fury gives us 1 m precision on static as
well as moving targets. We use a mature warhead which was made for Thales' LMM and which is effective
against soft targets up to lightly armoured vehicles," Doherty said, explaining Textron's approach.
© Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All
trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved.
Article 1 Page 1 of 10
ihs.com
Fury is a compact, free-fall munition that is 68 cm long and has an all-up weight of 5.8 kg - including a 1.8
kg blast fragment, shaped charge warhead. Furthermore, in addition to the SAL it features Selective
Availability Anti-spoofing Module GPS/INS terminal guidance. It is also fitted with a Textron-developed
operator selectable tri-mode fuze, with options of impact, height-of-burst, and delay detonation. Sources
state that it has a range of around 4.5 km at a launch altitude of 10,000 ft.
[Continued in full version…]
Raytheon's Pyros is among a number of small munitions that have been developed with UAS applications in
mind. (IHS/Patrick Allen)
1525074
A number of munitions under development are in much the same guise as Fury, with Raytheon's Pyros
(formerly Small Tactical Munition) and Lockheed Martin's Shadow Hawk targeting the same mission set
and being of a similar configuration.
According to Raytheon sources, Pyros has been integrated on the Navmar Tigershark for the US Navy,
Insitu's Blackjack for the USMC, and Textron Systems' RQ-7B Shadow for the US Army.
Roketsan is leveraging technology developed for its UMTAS and Çirit missiles, for its larger (22 kg) Smart
Micro Munition (SMM), using the seeker from the latter and most components of the former, save for the
motor unit and modified control surfaces. While SMM is primarily aimed at UASs, like many other small
munitions under development, it is also intended to offer utility for close-support and light-attack aircraft.
The new design for the SMM's control surfaces differs from those on the UMTAS to support its unpowered
delivery method; the weapon has a stated range of 8 km when launched from its ceiling of 15,000 ft. SMM
can feature a fragmentation warhead - with a blast radius of 25 m -which is optimised for use against soft
targets and in an anti-personnel role. A tandem warhead for engaging heavily armoured targets is also said
to be available.
© Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All
trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved.
Article 1 Page 2 of 10
ihs.com
Raytheon has long touted its Griffin munition for a UAS application, its design stems from an earlier missile
known as Archer. Initially pitched to the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) as a land-based
weapon, Archer's development was later discontinued.
However, SOCOM requested the weapon in an air-launched form and it has subsequently been fielded on
the MC-130W Combat Spear aircraft and Harvest HAWK weapon system for the USMC KC-130J.
[Continued in full version…]
Doherty said that Textron is not looking to replace the likes of Hellfire in the UAS arsenal. "With Fury we
are trying to complement what the Hellfire weapon can do. We are targeting asymmetric targets, lowercost vehicles [for example], where weapons like the Hellfire may be considered overkill."
The Reaper can carry a formidable weapons fit of Hellfire missiles and GBU-12 laser-guided bombs. (US Air
Force)
1331518
The focus on UAS weaponisation is almost exclusively on air-to-ground applications at present. In late 2002
a US Predator engaged an Iraqi aircraft with a Stinger air-to-air missile, but carrying air-to-air missiles is
very much the exception rather than the norm. Little effort has since been made to equip existing UASs
with more advanced weapons, save for discussions made public in mid-2013 between General Atomics and
Raytheon regarding the possible integration of the AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120 Advanced MediumRange Air-to-Air Missile on a Reaper UAS. It is more likely that the air-to-air capability will be saved for a
future generation of UASs that have the role as a core mission set.
While much of the emphasis of UAS weapons development may be placed on smaller munitions,
manufacturers and militaries do not consider larger munitions to be redundant for UASs. The use of
Hellfire and GBU-12 continues and other weapons that have been developed for manned platforms are
under consideration.
© Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All
trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved.
Article 1 Page 3 of 10
ihs.com
MBDA's Dual Mode Brimstone has been integrated on board and fired from a Reaper, completing a series
of tests against static, accelerating, weaving, fast, and very fast remotely controlled targets at the US Naval
Air Weapons Station China Lake. The weapon features an inertial navigation system (INS), digital autopilot,
millimetre wave radar, and SAL guidance modes.
The Dual Mode Brimstone has been trialled on board a Reaper UAS. (Big Safari)
1525983
[Continued in full version…]
Adcom Systems is set to equip a maritime version of its United-40 with a torpedo. (IHS/Patrick Allen)
1640966
© Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All
trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved.
Article 1 Page 4 of 10
ihs.com
At IDEX 2015 Adcom Systems also revealed its intentions to add a torpedo capability to the United-40,
which would be a first among UASs and add to the maritime patrol mission set that has been proposed for
many systems. The company is working with Italy's Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS) to add the
anti-submarine warfare capability to the aircraft.
Chinese efforts to develop UAS-capable munitions are as extensive as the programmes to develop the
aircraft themselves, although it is unclear how specific these efforts are to UASs. China appears to be
largely following the approach of equipping its UASs with munitions that have wider applications.
A number of guided and unguided weapons have been displayed on Chinese systems and frequently seen
on board aircraft is the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) AR-1 - a laser-guided missile
that is often considered to be the Chinese equivalent of the Hellfire.
The AR-1 is optimised for use on UASs and was developed in the late 2000s. It features a SAL and, through
its wide field-of-regard and downwards-angled seeker, is configured for close air-support operations. The
AR-1 has a modular warhead system and can be fitted with a number of types, while primarily it features a
tandem shaped charge for the anti-armour role it can also be fitted with those better suited to counterinsurgency missions.
At IDEX 2015, NORINCO revealed details of its Blue Arrow 9 - which it unveiled at the Zhuhai 2014 Airshow.
The missile weighs 26.5 kg and represents NORINCO's attempt to address the UAS weapons market; it uses
a SAL guidance system and has a range of 6 km.
The Barq missile, shown here being fired from a Burraq UAS, may in fact be an AR-1 missile or a licensedbuilt version. (Inter Services Public Relations)
1631253
The AR-1 also appears to have found utility with Pakistan's armed forces. Although lauded as an indigenous
development, the Barq laser-guided missile - which has been shown launched from Pakistan's Burraq UAS bears close resemblance to the Chinese missile. Indeed the Burraq itself seemingly borrows heavily from
the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) CH-3 UAS.
[Continued in full version…]
© Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All
trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved.
Article 1 Page 5 of 10
ihs.com
READYING FOR THE KILL
The remote nature of UAS operation offers a significantly different operating environment from the cockpit
of an aircraft. While some ground control stations may feature stick-and-throttle controls, that is largely
where the similarity ends. Pilots and payload operators must become accustomed to having a different
perspective on the battlefield and in which situational awareness and intelligence are presented in
unfamiliar formats.
Simulation and training specialist, CAE, is heavily involved in preparing aircrews to operate MQ-1 Predator
and MQ-9 Reaper UASs. The company has a significant footprint at the US Air Force's (USAF's) principal
centre for training on these types - Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Such is the importance of UASs
within the USAF, Holloman now represents the largest Flying Training Unit in the service's Air Combat
Command.
CAE provides training at four sites in total, with a throughput of around 1,500 pilots and operators per year
across its courses. Training is not limited to US personnel, with contingents from the United Kingdom, Italy,
and France having trained at the base, with representatives from the Netherlands and Australia set to
attend soon.
The USAF tasked CAE with developing courseware for the Predator/Reaper training programme, as well as
delivering aircrew training alongside active-duty personnel. The training syllabus at Holloman transitions
from academic courseware, through simulation and, ultimately, to live flight.
Nine of the Predator Mission Aircrew Training Systems (PMATS) provided by L-3 Link Simulation and
Training are located at Holloman. PMATS utilises an actual ground control station with a synthetic
environment 'injected' into the system's displays, it supports training in the full range of UAS operations
and provides a high-fidelity training environment in which students can learn and hone their skills.
George 'Harpo' Stillman, CAE's site manager for the USAF MQ-1/MQ-9 training programme at Holloman
AFB and an MQ-9 Reaper instructor pilot, told IHS Jane's that the USAF MQ-1 Predator/MQ-9 Reaper
training programme includes weapons qualification in all weapons certified to be carried by the USAF.
[Continued in full version…]
Copyright © IHS Global Limited, 2015
© Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All
trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved.
Article 1 Page 6 of 10