Israelis offer unmanned robo smart-missile 8-pack

[mawilson 2,133]

Israel appears to have stolen a march on America in the matter of multipack unmanned

cruise missile-in-a-box packages. An Israeli maker is exhibiting its "Jumper" robo missile

pack as ready for sale, while the rival US "Netfires" system is still in development.

The idea of such weapons is simple. A large box (looks like a festival toilet to us) contains

several vertically-launched missiles, along with its own communications and power. It's

generally light enough to be driven about by a Humvee or similar, parachuted down from

a transport plane, dropped off by helicopter, tied down on the deck of a ship or barge etc.

It needs no crew in operation.

Once the box is in place, it awaits orders. A soldier far off, or an aircraft or UAV, can mark

a target using map coordinates - and light it up with a laser pointer for extra precision if

required. As soon as firing authority is given - perhaps by a remote command post, or by

the commander on the ground - a missile leaps up out of the box and flies to the designated

coordinates using GPS satnav and inertial navigation.

On arrival, it plunges out of the sky and strikes as precisely as a smart bomb - even hitting

moving targets if laser pointing is available. Scratch one tank, pickup truck, building or whatever.

So far, so blah - anyone with air or modern artillery support can do this already.

But that's the point, in fact. Keeping aircraft overhead - even unmanned ones - costs a lot of

money and ties up a lot of people. Having a battery of guns or normal bombardment rockets

to hand is even worse: more people, on the ground this time, and all the ammo and fuel etc

has to be shipped all the way into the field.

With things like Jumper or the American Netfires/Non Line Of Sight Launch System (NLOS-LS),

you might not need mortar platoons, artillery regiments and strike air nearly so much. And with

any soldier packing a targeting laser able to knock out tanks by the dozen, you might not bother

with them so much either.

In short, if smart-missile multipack boxes catch on, there could be a serious change to the way

armed forces are organised. They'd contain, potentially, a lot more combat troops, as the

business of providing fire support would be automated and becomes merely an offshoot of

logistics - moving boxes about.

Until now, the main visible contender in the field was the slowly-gestating NLOS-LS. But yesterday

Israel Aerospace Industries announced that Jumper is ready to go. IAI say their box holds

8 missiles as opposed to the NLOS-LS' 15*. Jumper is said to offer range of 50km, "several

possible warheads", "pinpoint accuracy and short time of flight ... regardless of weather and visibility".

It'll be interesting to see how all this pans out.

Bootnote

*It's no coincidence that both systems hold one less than a square number: the comms and power

gear fits into the space occupied by a single missile cell.

link

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

i want one for christmas!

[Otto 83]

That sight will be an endless source of odd/wacky articles... should just post the link by itself..

[mawilson 2,133]

That sight will be an endless source of odd/wacky articles... should just post the link by itself..

No-one's forcing you to read.