Service to arm UAV for demonstration and signs to equip Lockheed AC-130 Spectre gunship with same weapon
Northrop Grumman has won contracts from the US Air Force for initial demonstration of its Viper Strike weapon on the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQM-1 Predator unmanned air vehicle.
New contracts have also been agreed to perform weapons delivery demonstrations from a modified Lockheed AC-130 Spectre gunship under the air force’s AC130 advanced concepts technology demonstration (ACTD).
The ACTD integration includes exploration of swarm strikes against multiple targets, says Scott Porter, Northrop aerospace systems director of marketing.
Porter also says that Northrop has completed two series of flight tests of an upgraded Viper Strike with integrated GPS guidance as part of efforts to extend the weapons range beyond 8km (4.3nm). The most recent tests took place four weeks ago with launches from a surrogate aircraft.
The extended-range variant could be used to perform horizontal terminal-phase engagements rather than the top-attack terminal mode as used by the existing weapon. Porter says the alternative attack profile would allow strikes through building windows or doorways. Related work is under way on integration of a programmable time-delay fuse to allow for strikes against buildings.
Porter says studies are being undertaken of alternate warhead options in conjunction with ongoing work, announced in April, to wrap a tungsten fragmentation belt around the existing shaped charge. There is also potential for replacing the existing Elta semi-active laser terminal guidance seeker in full-rate production weapons, with an Israel Aircraft Industries alternate being looked at. Porter says both seekers are “extremely capable”.
Predator integration work will initially study the number of weapons that could be carried by the UAV. Viper Strike would be carried in a tube storage system with the demonstration phase to explore launch and weapon deployment behaviour from a variety of altitudes before any formal qualification process. A similar process was used to qualify the weapon for carriage by the US Army’s Northrop Grumman-IAI RQ-5A Hunter UAVs.
Source: Flight International
