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The theory of aerial dominating weapons is not new, but sofar
its implementation remained limited by current technology to
few, specific contingencies, such as the Suppression of Enemy
Air Defense (SEAD), where targets could be clearly identified
and pursued with radar homing weapons. Israel pioneered this
field with the Harpy loitering
SEAD weapon, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The system
has been acquired by several countries including China, Turkey,
South Korea and India. IMI is demonstrating a similar multipurpose
warhead for their Delilah air launched missile, yet this weapon
is quite large for conventional UAVs. A follow-on to Harpy,
known as Cutlass was developed under a US-Israeli cooperation.
While the program has not been officially concluded, Israel
is known to have offered advanced Harpy systems to several customers,
including the UK, where it was proposed as "White Hawk",
for the British Loitering Munition
Capability Demonstration (LMCD) under cooperation with MBDA.
Another Israeli company - RAFAEL - competed for the same program,
offering the BLADE (Battlefield Loitering Artillery Direct Effect),
based on a modified Sparrow M UAV designed and produced by EMIT.
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different concept, developed for the US Army pursued area domination,
by a combination of several types loitering Non-Line-of-Sight
(NLOS) missiles. The original concept included 'smart' loitering
weapons, which would provide area surveillance, target acquisition
and pursuit of time critical attack, while other targets would
be engaged by precision attack missiles (PAM), fitted with imaging
infrared seekers. But this concept proved too costly and complex.
The Army eliminated the loitering missile-sensor element, deploying
the NLOS launch system with the PAM, provided as a weapon repository
ready to support combat units, targeted by assets available
to the unit over the network.
Various types of air domination systems are considered by the
US Air Force, enabling a military force to dominate an area
from the air for extended periods, denying enemy movements and
maneuvering. Current systems considered for these tasks are
standard weaponized UAVs, or small expendable loitering weapons,
fitted with imaging sensors, such as the powered Low
Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS). Operating in swarms
of 'intelligent munitions' weapons, such as the LOCAAS can autonomously
search for and destroy, aiming for critical mobile targets over
a wide combat area. Recent enhancements of the LOCAAS concept
introduced 'man in the loop' functionality enabling re-targeting
as well as the ability to abort attack by a human controller
when required. Further enhancements could integrate the LOCAAS
into a Surveilling Miniature
Attack Cruise Missile (SMACM) 'mothership' carrying four
LOCAAS units. The mothership will be able to support thee units
with targeting, surveillance and communications support, extending
the range and persistence of the basic version beyond 250 nautical
miles. LOCAAS and SMACM are designed to operate in open area,
pursuing stationary and mobile targets of opportunities as soon
as the are exposed in the open.
Topics covered in this article:
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