griffin missile ac-130

Griffin Missile Ac-130 - A small-sized missile with a range of at least 200 miles seems like a tough ask because it is.

But is it a missile or a drone? The requirements for the moving precision-guided weapons program seem almost contradictory: a long-range cruise missile, but small enough to fit in a small launch tube.

Griffin Missile Ac-130

"This system can be used in a variety of military applications where a long-range weapon must fit into a small space," noted a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) announcement from Operations Command. US Special Forces (SOCOM).

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Specifically, SOCOM is looking for a precision-guided "cruise missile" with a range of at least 200 nautical miles, and ideally a range of more than 400 nautical miles. This would give SOCOM aircraft, such as the AC-130J Ghostrider, the ability to strike targets while remaining safely outside enemy air defenses.

The missile must be able to carry, at a minimum, a 13-kilogram warhead, which is slightly smaller than that found in many Hellfire variants. Also, SOCOM says it is interested in designs that can carry payloads weighing up to 37 pounds.

A search system with electro-optical and infrared modes is also required, but the information says SOCOM would be happy to consider designs with additional guidance options, if possible, that would allow the weapon "to acquire targets in flight and/or reacquire.” The SBIR notice does not provide examples of what this “multi-mode search package” might be, but millimeter wave radar capability would certainly be a possibility.

The missile must also be networked, at least through Situational Awareness Data Links (SADL), but could also use port 16. SOCOM wants the weapon to have an Unmanned Navigation System (INS) guidance system. assisted by GPS, while also providing a backup with the INS component to help it reach the target in environments where there is GPS confusion.

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Perhaps most importantly, it would also give US special operations forces a long-range fire capability greater than the reach of their short-range Hellfire and Griffin missiles and Small Glide surface-to-air missiles (SGM ). The SGM has a range of about 20 miles, or about one-tenth the minimum range of this proposed mini-missile. This new weapon will also replace the small diameter bombs (SDB) that the AC-130 can carry, which have a maximum range of about 50 miles but may be lower in altitude and speed than the AC-130 .

While the size of the weapon was not specified in the announcement, it should be small enough to be fired from the Common Launch Tube, or CLT. The CLT, from Systima Technologies, is designed to be a universal boot and storage unit. It can contain and fire a variety of munitions and small drones in a container just four feet long and seven inches wide, and can be quickly mounted on a variety of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Griffins and SGMs are included in CLT, but Hellfires and SDBs will not be.

The fact that the SOCOM weapon was designed to be inserted into the CLT raises several questions. How do you fit a long-range weapon into a smaller container?

SOCOM describes the proposed weapon as a cruise missile, which tends to be a subsonic weapon that flies at low altitudes to avoid detection. On the other hand, the small size and long range of the proposed weapon - almost contradictory requirements in missile design - is likely to be something like a munition, which hovers around a target like a drone before striking it and explode like a rocket. Specifications for electric racing may recommend a single-propeller motor. There are proposals for new mini-cruise missiles, such as the Spear 3, but they will not be able to fit into the CLT and have a range less than half of what is needed here.

Lockheed Martin Ac 130j 30 Ghostrider / Spectre Ii By Stareagle711 On Deviantart

US conventional forces have a wide range of long-range munitions, from Air Force guided bombs to sea-launched cruise missiles, but even small cruise missiles won't fit inside a CLT. On the other hand, there are long-range drones that can be launched from the CLT. It's worth noting that the US military has operated at least one of these unmanned systems in the past, Raytheon's Coyote Block 3, as part of a program called the Low Cost Cruise Missile (LCCM).

However, these drones do not necessarily meet the payload requirements that SOCOM has outlined here for this new weapon. For example, the Altius 600 drone, another drone being experimented with by multiple branches of the US military, has a range of 276 miles and can be launched from a CLT, but can only carry payloads weighing between three and seven kilograms . production. Moreover, with a cruise speed of 60 knots and a landing speed of 90 knots, it is not enough to find time-sensitive targets that can leave the target area before the missile is hit.

A SOCOM spokesman declined to comment on the missile project, except to say that SOCOM is conducting a technical analysis of proposals received from industry. The SBIR announcement also clarifies that SOCOM expects "no operational prototypes to be developed" as part of the first phase of this project.

The push for a long-range missile comes as SOCOM rebuilds its missile stockpile depleted by years of nonstop operations that have strained its personnel and resources. Whatever SOCOM develops, if indeed it finds such a capability technologically feasible, could be adopted by US conventional forces.

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Jonathan Schroden, director of the Special Operations Program at the think tank's Center for Naval Analysis, said

The SBIR statement itself says that the second phase of this project will investigate whether "This system can be used in a variety of military applications where a long-range weapon must fit into a small space."

If the project is successful, and there's no guarantee it will be, SOCOM and the rest of the U.S. military will be able to have their cake and eat it too: a missile that's small but still has long range. .

Michael Peck is a defense journalist. Masters in Political Science from Rutgers University. You can USAF gets high-powered laser weapon on its Ghostrider plane; Says it can 'knock out' enemy defenses with Jiffy

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The Lockheed Martin AC-130J Ghostrider is the ground attack version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. With its new weapon, this versatile weapon will be able to hit targets "silently and stealthily".

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The AC-130J Ghostrider is now equipped with a different arsenal panel. This includes a 105mm howitzer and a smaller GAU-23/A 30mm Bushmaster cannon. The weapon can also carry a variety of conventional munitions such as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-39/B small diameter bombs (SDB) under its wings.

In addition, the aircraft can fire small precision weapons such as GBU-44/B Viper Strike and GBU-69/B Small Glide Munition, AGM-176 Griffin missile, via common launch tubes (CLT).

Usaf Receives Lockheed Martin Laser Weapon For Ac 130j Gunship

According to the statement of the American aerospace company Lockheed Martin, the first prototype of the Airborne High Energy Laser (AHEL) has completed the factory acceptance test and has been delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF).

This laser weapon is being tested on the USAF AC-130J aircraft. Before flight testing, the laser system must be integrated with the range control system. After that ground testing will be done and only then AHEL will be installed on AC-130J.

The service believes that integrating this guided energy weapon with the AC-130J will give the aircraft a unique ability to stealthily attack land-based targets.

"Completing this milestone is a great achievement for our customer," said Rick Cordaro, vice president of Lockheed Martin Advanced Product Solutions.

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"These mission success milestones are proof of our collaboration with the United States Air Force to rapidly achieve significant advances in the development of laser weapon systems. Our technology is ready for the field today," he added.

According to the company's press release, Lockheed Martin began work on the integration, testing and demonstration of this new directed energy weapon on the AC-130J under a January 2019 contract. The statement also noted that it is "currently in an accelerated program to continue testing this capability".

"In July 2021, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division was awarded a five-year, $12 million, indefinite-delivery contract for the AHEL system by Lockheed Martin." , the statement said.

Although it is not yet clear when the AHEL flight will be tested, the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has repeatedly stated that it wants to begin this phase of the project in fiscal year 2022, which began in October of this year . year

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While Lockheed Martin's press release did not mention AHEL's power rating, SOCOM said it would depend.

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