G-CLAW missile successfully engages moving targets
NewsFebruary 15, 2017
WILMINGTON, Mass. Textron Systems Weapon and Sensor Systems, a division of Textron Inc., announced that it has successfully tested its G-CLAW precision-guided glide weapon against moving targets; the October 2016 flight tests were conducted at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.
The Textron Weapon and Sensor Systems team conducted the G-CLAW precision-guided weapon flight tests from a Cessna Caravan, demonstrating that the G-CLAW successfully engaged both static and moving targets within a range of one- meter circular error probable (CEP). The missile transferred navigation from a GPS-aided inertial navigation system to the semi-active laser (SAL) sensor for terminal guidance. According to Textron, the test results verified end-to-end guidance through successfully engaging an off-axis target greater than two kilometers downrange from the aircraft.
The G-CLAW weapon system works by using trimode fuzing (height of burst/impact/delay) to optimize effects against a broad target set. Its modular design is aimed at supporting rapid incorporation of emerging technologies in guidance, seekers, and warhead effects. The missile is designed to be integrated onto an array of aircraft, including the Cessna Caravan and Textron AirLand Scorpion jet, and it can also be used with launch systems such as the Common Launch Tube (CLT).
