Raytheon’s growing portfolio of precision munitions is to expand with the development of a new smart missile to arm small UAVs that are current unable to carry weapons. Initial flight tests have produced good results, and the small tactical missile (STM) is gearing up for more advanced testing in the coming weeks.
STM development was spurred on by the experience of operators of small UAVs such as the U.S. Army’s RQ-7 Shadow. “Operators of these UAVs can see guys planting IEDs, but they have nothing to shoot,” explained Cody Tretschok, Raytheon’s STM capture manager, referring to operations in locations such as Afghanistan against insurgents armed with improvised explosive devices. “They can call in airstrikes but that might take 30 to 60 minutes, by which time the enemy has gotten away. The challenge is, what can we do for these small systems? How can we dramatically reduce the kill chain?”
