Northrop Grumman has actually simply unveiled its new Lumberjack loitering one-way attack drone at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C.
TWZ talked to Michael Bastin, director of technology for the company, on the show floor to get the low-down on Lumberjack and what it brings to the table.The jet-propelled weapon falls under the United States militarys Group 3 uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) category, defined as styles weighing between 55 and 1,320 pounds, able to fly at between 3,500 and 18,000 feet, and having leading speeds of between 100 and 250 knots.
Lumberjack can be introduced from the surface or the air.
It carries a payload size similar to that of a 250-pound class Small Diameter Bomb (SDB).
It can be set up for kinetic strike, including dropping submunitions of its own, or other roles, such as serving as an electronic warfare platform or reconnaissance.
This versatility comes through a modular center base compartment.Because it is air-launched and/or ground-launched, and it has a numerous hundred-mile variety, you can essentially put in kinetic results from a forward-deployed ground base really modular its a two-man lift.
So you can have a capability to sort of reach out and defend surface area and land capabilities, in addition to air deploy, and have non-kinetic electronic warfare protection for your main forces, Bastin informed us.It can also trade its range for loitering endurance, staying in the air over a location for a couple hours.In terms of launch alternatives, Bastin saidweve showed two different launchers.
One is an electric rail system developed for the Navy, intended in fact to release off of ships.
You might in fact release this off of surface vessels.
Weve also released it utilizing a pneumatic strategy, which is field-deployable.
Its really similar to whats being utilized presently in Europe If the ground forces want it, its generally a large, successfully a potato gun.
Very inexpensive, very easy to build.
You can construct it in, you know, regional components.Cost-wise, Lumberjack is intending to come in at around $75 to $100K, per weapon, according to Bastin.
This would be a comparatively attractive price, especially for a modular kamikaze drone that is jet-powered and can fly at least a couple of hundred miles.
This would correspond to approximately half the cost of a Hellfire rocket.
Alternately, a single 227mm M31 GMLRS assisted weapons rocket, which has a range of around 50 miles, costs around $150K.
Lumberjack would not strike as quick as the M31, but it would cover a much bigger area and do so more flexibly from a single position than present GMLRS offerings, and even the upcoming GMLRS-ER, which has nearly double its progenitors range.With this in mind, from a single ground position, Lumberjack would allow an extremely little group to take on targets throughout a circle ranging at least 200 miles (perhaps significantly more) in any instructions, and do so reasonably quickly thanks to the Lumberjacks jet speed.
As soon as once again, this is an ability far beyond the range of traditional and guided rocket artillery systems, and one that can be utilized without the need to put airpower overhead.
That is a substantial quantity of territory that can be put at risk extremely cheaply.The capability for a single Lumberjack to attack several little targets geographically separated utilizing submunitions on its one-and-only sortie it will fly is likewise a significant plus, both in terms of value and flexibility.Lumberjacks prospective usage as a ship-based weapon is likewise appealing, specifically due to its expense, range, and smaller size.
Its loitering ability might can be found in usage for lots of roles, from electronic warfare to reconnaissance, however especially for setting up force protection pickets between the ship and possible little surface area threats.Source: The War Zone