Raytheon Tests New Weapon for UAV

Raytheon has successfully flight tested the small tactical munition (STM) weapon, designed for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

The 2ft-long STM is a 13lb guided bomb, which is equipped with a dual-mode, semi-active laser seeker and GPS-inertial navigation system (GPS-INS).

The laser seeker and GPS-INS system enable the weapon to engage fixed and moving targets around-the-clock in any weather conditions.

Raytheon has flight tested two STM weapons on two separate passes from a Cobra UAS.

During the test, the GPS-INS guided the weapons to a mid-course position where the semi-active laser seeker precisely guided the weapon to the target, achieving all test objectives.

Raytheon vice-president of advanced missiles and unmanned systems Bob Francois said current combat operations had highlighted the need for extremely small, precise weapons that are optimally designed for remotely piloted aircraft.