New small cruise missile slated for SOCOM gunship test
Digital engineering is helping smaller companies make big leaps in missile design.
Patrick Tucker | October 3, 2024 06:00 AM ET
An upcoming test-firing of a small cruise missile is a step toward filling a rising need for U.S. special operators—and perhaps allies around the globe.
Sometime this fall, Leidos aims to launch its under-development Black Arrow missile from an AC-130J furnished by U.S. Special Operations Command, building on hitherto unrevealed captive-carry and safe-separation tests conducted last December, according to a company statement.
The effort by Leidos, better known for its weapons components than entire missiles, shows how digital technologies and open, modular design are enabling new entrants to the missile market and clearing a path toward cheaper, easier-to-built weapons.
The Black Arrow is designed to answer SOCOM’s 2021 call for a small air-to-ground cruise missile that can fly about 400 nautical miles and hit targets even when GPS is down. SOCOM said it needed such a missile because more advanced air defense systems were putting U.S. forces at greater risk in more places.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/10/new-small-cruise-missile-slated-socom-gunship-test/400021/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary
