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SABER glide bomb/missile....(pdf)
SABER is a tiny laser-guided glide bomb with an optional rocket psck small enough to fit on small drones that normally couldn't carry munitions.
Ex: the smallest configuration of SABER is just 10 lbs while the AGM-114 Hellfire missile used on Predators weighs 100-108 lbs.
Wired....
TAMPA, Florida — Never let it be said that small isn’t powerful. A Northern California company has just built commandos perhaps the smallest drone that can kill you. Underscoring the point, it’s even painted camouflage, like Stallone in Rambo.
The Arcturus company built its eponymous drone as the unmanned aerial equivalent of a compact car. Its wingspan is just over 17 feet, making it slightly smaller than the Army and Marine Corps’ Shadow drone. Arcturus is “primarily†a spy plane, says engineer Eric Folkestad. Emphasis on “primarily.â€
Because the life-size Arcturus on display at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here has a conspicuous add-on under its left wing. That’s a Saber, a 10-pound laser-guided missile (.pdf) manufactured by MBDA. In tests, Arcturus discovered that the wings of its drone can carry 22 pounds’ worth of cargo, making it a candidate to wield MBDA’s missiles. “No one else can do that in our size category,†Folkestad says.
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The Arcturus company built its eponymous drone as the unmanned aerial equivalent of a compact car. Its wingspan is just over 17 feet, making it slightly smaller than the Army and Marine Corps’ Shadow drone. Arcturus is “primarily†a spy plane, says engineer Eric Folkestad. Emphasis on “primarily.â€
Because the life-size Arcturus on display at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here has a conspicuous add-on under its left wing. That’s a Saber, a 10-pound laser-guided missile (.pdf) manufactured by MBDA. In tests, Arcturus discovered that the wings of its drone can carry 22 pounds’ worth of cargo, making it a candidate to wield MBDA’s missiles. “No one else can do that in our size category,†Folkestad says.
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