Got cruise missile-armed cargo planes? The US Air Force is nearly there.
By Stephen Losey
Nov 17, 11:52 AM
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force conducted a test of its Rapid Dragon palletized munition system concept Nov. 3, which could one day pave the way to launching a barrage of cruise missiles out of the back of mobility aircraft.
The Air Force Research Laboratory said in a Tuesday release that it deployed a long-range cruise missile separation test vehicle — basically a cruise missile without its engine or warhead — from an MC-130J Commando II aircraft.
During the flight demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the MC-130′s crew — an operational group from Air Force Special Operations Command — obtained new targeting data for its onboard battle management system while it was flying to the drop zone, the release said. The battle management system then uploaded that new data to the weapon on the pallet, allowing it to find its new target.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/11/17/got-cruise-missile-armed-cargo-planes-the-us-air-force-is-nearly-there/
