| 
The first weaponized UAVs were armed with standard munitions,
meeting payload weight restrictions of existing unmanned vehicles.
At that time, the Lockheed
Martin Hellfire II missile was found to be the most suitable
weapon for such roles. However, in a parallel path, the US Air
Force and Army have been evaluating other weapons, including
the Northrop Grumman BAT munition and its derivatives, as well
as other types. Among the weapons considered for testing were
two Israeli weapons, the IAI/MBT Lahat laser guided missiles,
and RAFAEL Spike LR electro-optical
guided missiles, both are believed to have been deployed with
UAVs.
|
|  In
the past, standard missiles and gravity dropped weapons were
found inadequate for employment with UAVs. For example, the
Hellfire, designed for launching from manned platforms, did
not have adequate off-boresight flexibility to acquire unexpected
target,s therefore limiting engagement profiles and increasing
the potential for collateral damage. Launch signature and range
have limited its suitability for surprise attacks. The stealthy,
acoustically guided BAT proved useless for low intensity warfare,
since typical target acoustics can hardly be defined in adequate
resolution for an attack. The weapon was therefore modified
with a new semi-active laser homing device. Designated Viper-Strike,
it retained the Bat's vertical dive capability, demonstrating
excellent precision kill while reducing collateral damage. Few
of these weapons are currently deployed in Iraq, flying on Hunter
UAVs. Northrop Grumman is reportedly making efforts to reduce
the weight of the Viper Strike to 11.3 kg, thus making it suitable
for the 168 kg AAI RQ-7B Shadow
200. The new AGM-114P Hellfire version has already been
optimized for the Predator UAV. Among the modifications are
increased weapon engagement zone (WEZ), enabling the seeker
to acquire targets off-boresight up to 90 degrees to each side.
These missiles can be released from higher altitude (10,000
to 25,000 ft), eliminating the need to descend to lower altitude
prior to weapon release. The AGM-114P was cleared for service
in early 2005.
RAFAEL's family of electro-optically guided missile, known as
the Electro-Optically guided Spike is also proposed for weaponized
UAV applications. It was publicly unveiled on UAVs when proposed
by Sagem to arm their Sperwer
B UAV for demonstrations for the French military. The French
study required the UAV to be capable of delivering high terminal
precision, especially in asymmetric conflicts, and maintain
the controller in the loop from launch to impact in order to
minimize operating risks. Two versions of Spike are proposed
for airborne applications – the Spike LR, and extended
range version (Spike ER),
which can be fitted with blast-penetration warhead, designed
to inflict maximum lethality inside buildings or vehicles but
minimize collateral damage to the surrounding area. Utilizing
a fiber-optical link, Spike offers unique fire and forget or
fire-observe and update operating modes either autonomous guidance
or maintaining a "man in the loop" option throughout
the missile's flight, as the missile relays the scene viewed
by it's seeker, enabling the controller to accurately select
the point of impact or abort the mission when the conditions
are not matching the rules of engagement (for example, presence
of civilians). IMI is also working on reduced lethality warheads,
designed to optimize the terminal effect against buildings,
vehicles and other soft targets, characteristic of urban environment.
A similar trend is taking place in Europe. MBDA is developing
a technology demonstrator, proposed as a follow-on to the HOT
system, currently known as the Missile
de Combat Terrestre (MCT), which could be utilized in the
future for armed UAVs. The new missile will be able to engage
targets at Non-Line Of Sight (NLOS) mode, where the missile's
seeker does not have to be aimed at the target before launch.
The company is developing several variants for the missile,
including medium and long range versions with range of up to
8 km and turbo-jet powered extended range versions, with a maximum
range of 100km. The weapon considered for the missile will include
"multi-effect" warhead, making it effective against
a broad target set, including fortified constructions, bunkers,
armored vehicles and soft targets. The warhead could be equipped
with a programmable lethality package to create "scalable"
effect, tailored for specific operating scenarios.
Topics covered in this article:
|
