During both of my tours in Iraq, it was not uncommon to here the buzz of a Shadow drone overhead (rarely could anyone spot the things), and the video feeds from these aircraft (operated by our brigade, I think) were usually on monitors at the battalion S3 shop. Unfortunately, they could do nothing more than watch. Now it seems this little plane might be given some teeth.
Quote:
New Warhead Reduces Size Of Raytheon Small Tactical Munition
STM is part of a portfolio of Raytheon weapons built specifically for UAS.
by Staff Writers
Tucson AZ (SPX) Apr 20, 2011
Raytheon tested a new warhead for its Small Tactical Munition, a new weapon specifically designed to be employed from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). STM is a 13-pound guided munition that is approximately 2 feet long, making it the smallest air-launched weapon in the Raytheon portfolio.
The new 5-pound warhead, manufactured by NammoTalley, is lighter than the current warhead but has significantly improved blast-fragment capability compared with the old design enabling Raytheon to reduce the size and weight of STM significantly.
"The low weight and small size of STM enables UAS to fly farther, faster and carry more weapons then they could if they were limited to carrying a single 100-pound class weapon," said Bob Francois, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems.
"STM's small size also enables weaponization of smaller UAS, such as the Shadow 200, that currently cannot be weaponized because of payload limitations."
STM is part of a portfolio of Raytheon weapons built specifically for UAS. Like the other weapons in the portfolio, STM is easy to use because it's designed with rapid integration in mind and engineered for improved operator system interface.
"NammoTalley's new warhead is purpose-built for Raytheon's STM and the associated target set encountered in warfare today. This design packs the same 'punch' into a smaller package and is optimally designed for this target set," said John Hill, NammoTalley vice president of business development and program management.
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