Online Sponsor: April 01, 2003
New rocket to target light armored vehicles By GAIL KAUFMAN, DEFENSE NEWS MEDIA GROUP ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Trying to find a more precise way to destroy light armored targets, the U.S. Army is developing a low-cost, 2.75-inch guided rocket that could be launched from its attack helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at stand-off ranges.
Ryland Barlow, senior project engineer for weapons and sensors at the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va., said the goal is for each rocket to cost about $8,000.
“The 10-pound warhead is pretty well-suited for low collateral damage,” Barlow told service and industry representatives here April 1 for the Defense News Media Group conference — Strike Warfare & Precision Attack: Compressing the ‘Flash-to-Bang Cycle.
Called the Low Cost Precision Kill (LCPK) Advanced Technology Program, the initiative is still in the early stages of system development and demonstration.
By September, the Army plans to demonstrate some initial capabilities.
The current plan is for a soldier aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk to control a small helicopter UAV that is armed with the rocket. Using commercially available data links, the goal is to destroy a target from about 2 to 5 kilometers away.
The service is also working with the other services on the Hunter Standoff Killer Team Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration.
In about two years, the initiative will try to show how tactical UAVs can work with manned aircraft to strike targets.
For example, if a ground-searching aircraft discovers a threat, it could pass the information along to a command and control UH-60 helicopter. The helicopter, unsure of the potential threat of that target, could direct the tactical UAV to move in closer to provide more detailed imagery. Once the target is clear, the commander on the ground can send in the appropriate aircraft to destroy the threat. |
Sponsor: 
Maj. Gen. John L "Jack" Hudson |
