The Army wants simple, cheap unmanned tech—here are some options
A 3D-printed kamikaze drone with a jet engine and a self-powered laser for downing incoming threats.
Meghann Myers | March 28, 2025 03:51 PM ET
Army Technology
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought into stark relief that the U.S. Army needs not just powerful vehicles and artillery, but lots and lots of simpler unmanned and counter-unmanned systems for drone warfare.
“When America brings its best technology-wise, it's exquisite, and we should keep doing that,” Gen. Jim Rainey, the head of Army Futures Command, said Thursday at AUSA’s Global Force Symposium. “At the same time, we should buy cheap mass. [There’s a] lot of value in 30mm cheap rounds that can knock down UAVs, even if you have to shoot a burst of 30 at it.”
One company has a 3D-printed unmanned aerial vehicle on offer as part of the Army’s Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance, or LASSO, program, which is due to put out a request for proposals any day now.
Dubbed the Hellhound S3, the turbojet-powered drone doesn’t look like the quadcopter you probably picture when you think of an armed UAV. It looks like a fighter jet, and it can be loaded up with not only weapons but sensors or electronic warfare jammers.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/03/army-wants-simple-cheap-unmanned-techhere-are-some-options/404141/?oref=d1-featured-river-top
