The Air Force Is Developing a Drone Fighter Bomber
The tech demonstrator must be able to shoot down planes, carry bombs, and not need runways.
By Kyle Mizokami
Jul 12, 2016
The U.S. Air Force has awarded $40 million to a defense contractor to develop a drone fighter bomber. The Low-Cost Attritable Strike Unmanned Aerial System Demonstration (LCASD) will be a technology demonstrator that will take drone warfare to the next level—air-to-air warfare.
The Air Force Research Lab awarded the contract to Kratos Defense, a San Diego-based defense contractor that specializes in drones used for target practice by the U.S. military. The contract specifies a drone capable of low-altitude "nap of the earth" flying, high-altitude cruise, defensive counter-air maneuvers, offensive counter-air maneuvers, and suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses.
The drone will be capable of Mach 0.9 speeds for short periods of time, have a 1,500 nautical mile range, and be able to carry at least two GBU-39 small diameter bombs. It will feature "extreme agility" for missile avoidance. The LCASD will also be relatively inexpensive: $3 million each for the first 99, $2 million each if you buy more than 100.
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