US Military Updates & Discussions

[BMD]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2107463402226368734

 

[BMD]

Sikorsky’s “Black Hawk 2070” Strategy Includes Drones, New Engines, And Flying The Pilotless U-Hawk This Year

Branded Content: A planned suite of UH-60 upgrades includes the uncrewed U-Hawk, new engines, more range, launched effects, and expanding autonomy.

www.twz.com

 

[BMD]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2108382409473372204

 

[BMD]

Lockheed Martin unveils PAC-3 Edge to take on hypersonic threats, eyes U.S. Army deployment by 2031

Lockheed Martin has taken the wraps off PAC-3 Edge, a new interceptor designed to take on hypersonic and advanced missile threats.

defence-industry.eu

https://twitter.com/x/status/2108930528690753787

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Autonomous Swarm-on-Swarm Defense at Army T-REX Exercise

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Autonomous Swarm-on-Swarm Defense at Army T-REX Exercise

The U.S. Army’s Technology Readiness and Experimentation (T-REX) event.

www.lockheedmartin.com

Experimentation (T-REX) event, Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL) and Skunk Works® fielded Coordinated Autonomous Remote Intercept (CARI).

CARI is a defensive, autonomous swarming capability deployed from truck-mounted launchers, and integrated with the Lockheed Martin Rotary & Mission Systems (RMS) SanctumTM counter-UAS sensor suite. The defensive swarm deployed an autonomous three-dimensional “wall” to block an opposing swarm of hostile drones in real time.

How CARI Operates​

RMS Sanctum’s sensor processing, anchored by a Fortem R30 radar, keeps a constant watch over the sky, instantly flagging any hostile “red” swarm. The data then gets transmitted live to CARI’s on-board autonomy software, which instructs the Lockheed Martin launcher to autonomously release the swarm of defensive UAVs in response.

CARI’s C2 and Swarm-Management module calculates the optimal blocking formation and location, assigning tasks to the drone swarm. All aircraft execute a collision-avoidance-aware flocking maneuver enroute to form a three-dimensional barrier directly in the path of incoming threats. As the red swarm moves, splits or accelerates, the blue swarm continuously re-calculates formation points and reshapes the barrier with minimal human input. When the operator switches to terminal-guidance mode, the blue UAVs can lock onto and intercept individual red aircraft.

Key Features Demonstrated During T-REX​

• Full autonomous launch, flocking maneuvers, defensive swarm formation
• Dynamic response to incoming swarms, including split-track swarms
• Resilience to communications loss – the defensive wall remained effective after two drones temporarily lost connectivity
• Terminal-guidance lock, establishing the ability for active intercepts
• Successful deployment of Lockheed Martin’s VCSi Swarm Ground Control Station, allowing a single operator to manage the swarm of drones

 

[BMD]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2108702481714733152

 

[BMD]

@Shan - Even the US has gone for a simpler interceptor design to replace PAC-3 MSE to obtain a lower Cost/Pk ratio.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2109060058097095125