US Army,
Hunt Valley MD: AAI has announced that the U.S. Army has successfully completed live-fire testing of laser designation capability for the RQ-7 Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (TUAS). The event confirmed the system's precision, with all missiles hitting their intended targets.
The airborne Shadow aircraft laser designator places a concentrated laser spot on a target, enabling precise tracking by a missile to the target of interest.
Three missiles were fired during the exercise: the first launched from a ground launcher, the second was performed as a lock-on before launch from an Apache helicopter, and the third was a lock-on after launch from the Apache.
“Unmanned aircraft excel in applications where they can keep aircrews out of harm's way,” explains Steven Reid, AAI's vice president of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
“Because our Shadow TUAS can provide this valuable laser designation capability, manned aircraft can remain significantly farther from their intended targets without jeopardizing the success of their missions.”
