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Armys RQ-7 Shadow UAVs to be armed with 81mm mortars
 In 2007, US Army RQ-7 Shadow battalion-level UAVs saw their use increase to up 8,000 flight hours per month in Iraq, a total that compares well to the famous MQ-1 Predator. Those trends have continued as workarounds for the airspace management issues that hindered early deployments become more routine. Some RQ-7s are even being used to extend high-bandwidth communications on the front lines.The difference between the Armys RQ-7 Shadow UAVs and their brethren like the USAFs MQ-1A Predator, or the Armys new MQ-1C Sky Warriors, is that the Shadow has been too small and light to be armed. Larger RQ-5 Hunters have been tested with Viper Strike mini-bombs, and RQ-7s will certainly be eligible for NAVAIRs 5-6 pound Spike missile project. Meanwhile, as CENTCOM Looks to Boost ISR Capabilities in 2008-2009 explained, UAVs can still pack a punch without weapons. UAVs can provide targeting data to M30 GPS-guided MLRS rockets, long-range ATACMS MLRS missiles, or GPS-guided 155mm Excalibur artillery shells as long as those weapons are (a) appropriate and (b) within range. Using an ATACMS missile to take out an enemy machine gun position seems a bit silly, but thats exactly the sort of help that could really make a difference to troops on the ground. Precision weapons can also be dropped by fighters or bombers, but their $10,000 $25,000 cost per flight hour is prohibitive, they require extensive planning processes to use, and their declining numbers affect their potential coverage and response times. With NAVAIRs mini-missile still in development, and missions in Afghanistan occurring beyond artillery support range, arming the Armys Shadow UAVs has become an even more important objective. So important, in fact, that it spawned a bright idea: what if smaller UAVs could carry and drop the Armys 81mm mortar ammunition, which weighs just 9-10 pounds? Enter General Dynamics RCFC kit . Contracts and Key Events General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems announces that it has successfully demonstrated the ability to maneuver and guide 81mm air-dropped mortars to a stationary ground target after release from an aircraft. These test results build on previous pre-programmed maneuver flight tests successfully conducted by General Dynamics in 2007, and use the companys patented Roll Controlled Fixed Canard (RCFC) flight control and guidance system. RCFC is an integrated fuze and guidance-and-flight control kit that uses GPS/INS navigation, and clips on by replacing current fuze hardware in existing mortars. Application of RCFC technology to 81mm air-dropped mortar s was sponsored by the U.S. Armys Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, in order to provide Tactical Class Unmanned Aircraft Systems (TCUAS) with a low-cost weapon option for rapid fielding. The Armys 81mm mortars, for instance, weigh just 9-10 pounds each. Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2009-01-16 |
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