UAS built using MOSA drops multiple GPS-guided munitions in live-fire test
NewsJanuary 10, 2024
ARLINGTON, Va. Intelligent robotic systems company AeroVironment reported that it -- together with Corvid Technologies and L3Harris Technologies -- successfully completed its first multi-drop of live-fire GPS-guided Shryke munitions from its VAPOR 55 MX electric uncrewed aerial system (UAS).
According to the company's announcement, the VAPOR 55 MX carried four rounds simultaneously, enabling multiple targets to be designated in a single flight.
The Shryke munition (developed by Corvid Technologies and L3Harris Technologies) is a precision-strike weapon that stays within 1 to 2 meters (3.2 to 6.5 feet) of the designated target and is equipped with an L3Harris MIL-STD-1316 Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD) to ensure safety-critical initiation-on-command for energetic systems and facilitate secure post-flight recovery of remaining installed munitions.
Jason Wright, AeroVironment’s senior product line manager, said of the trial: “Collaborating with our partners to develop the multi-drop Shryke payload to integrate seamlessly with the modular open systems approach (MOSA) design of the VAPOR 55 MX gives us a real market advantage. Quick integration for the warfighter continues to be our top priority."
The open software and hardware architecture enables customers to leverages third-party payloads of their choice without the hit of excessive non-recurring engineering costs and schedule delays.
