DARPA picks 3 companies to develop unmanned aircraft that attacks with submunitions from standoff distances
ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers are choosing three U.S. defense contractors to create an air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that carries its own small submunitions. Defense News reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
19 Feb. 2021 -- the new LongShot could enable manned jet fighters and bombers to hang back at standoff distances while the drone moves forward and strikes several targets using its own air-launched weapons.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., have awarded contracts to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for the first phase of the LongShot program, during which the companies will create preliminary designs.
Under the LongShot program, DARPA researchers say they plan to explore multimodal propulsion for the unmanned aircraft, which experts see as key to the drone’s concept of operations.
Related: The new world of counter-drone technology
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
