The Israeli company SpearUAV announced that in October 2022 it will present a new barrage ammunition (BB) at the annual meeting and exhibition of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA, Association of the United States Army). Viper ("Viper") is a solution for a quadcopter that can be used both as a BB and as a multi—purpose drone (UAV).
SpearUAV company from Tel Aviv has been developing and manufacturing UAVs since 2017. Its products are characterized by the tightness of their design, and consoles with engines and screws can be folded into the fuselage for transportation. The unmanned quadrocopter Viper is also designed in accordance with this concept and can be carried by one person in a transport and launch container. In addition, launch containers accommodating several drones are available for installation on the equipment. Equipped with a low-noise electric motor and lithium-ion batteries, the Viper provides a range of up to 5 km and a battery life of up to 20 minutes.
Viper Barrage AmmunitionThe drone with low visual and acoustic visibility is equipped with combined electron-optical and infrared, as well as other unspecified sensors.
According to the manufacturer, the latter, in combination with the artificial intelligence (AI) used, allow performing complex aerobatic maneuvers, as well as flying through difficult, obstacle-filled terrain. The goal is to reach the target in a contour flight, which significantly reduces both the advance warning time and the defense capabilities.
Thanks to the design of the copter drone, it is also possible to hover and descend in urban conditions. This makes possible attack vectors that are not available for aircraft-type systems. In particular, SpearUAV engineers claim that the Viper can fly around shelters or use gaps, for example, to be able to target and effectively fight tank destroyer detachments.
In its statement, the company also explains that image processing software combined with embedded AI provides simple and efficient target recognition and tracking, which should significantly reduce training efforts and operator workload. The approach to the explored and marked targets and their attack can be performed automatically by the system. The operator remains in the control loop until the strike and can interrupt the attack at any time.
According to the manufacturer, as a payload, the Viper can carry both an unspecified modular warhead and electronic warfare equipment, as well as non-lethal weapons. In addition, the user can change the payload depending on the need. With repeated use, the rechargeable battery can be replaced to quickly prepare the drone for operation. In addition, the management software allows you to use several Viper systems on the network. According to the manufacturer, Viper can be used in different roles and support each other, scout targets, assign them and, if necessary, also hit them.
According to the materials soldat-und-technik.de
