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Army Plans Expanded Weapons Tests On UAVs
By Marc Selinger
03/29/2004 10:45:36 AM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - U.S. Army researchers say they plan to expand the kinds of weapons fired in tests from unmanned aerial vehicles.
The use of armed Predator UAVs by non-Army U.S. forces in recent military operations has helped fuel the Army's interest in such platforms.
"Certainly, the weaponization of UAVs is a very hot and interesting topic right now, and we're doing some things along those lines, too," said Col. William Gavora, commander of the Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD), based at Fort Eustis, Va.
The Army already has launched Brilliant Anti-armor (BAT) and Viper Strike munitions from the Hunter UAV in tests, and AATD plans to start shooting 70-millimeter rockets this summer from its Vigilante test bed, a small, unmanned rotorcraft, Gavora said at a press briefing late March 25 at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual convention here.
The Vigilante tests will begin with Hydra 70 rockets and later move on to Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets, said Raymond Wall, chief of the directorate's systems integration division.
AATD, which is charged with developing critical technologies for Army aviation, also is exploring non-lethal weapons for UAVs, including intense emissions of heat and sound. Lasers are under study for lethal and non-lethal purposes.
Beyond weapons, AATD's UAV work includes the Hunter Standoff Killer Team (HSUT) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD), which seeks to show that an AH-64D Longbow Apache can use a Hunter UAV to extend its view of the battlespace. The HSUT is gearing up to begin flight testing.
Manned aircraft advances eyed
Gavora said AATD is also advancing technology for manned aircraft. To…
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