The developers call the wandering ammunition “an electro-optical guided missile,” the first prototypes will be delivered to the military for testing as early as 2023.
Israeli state company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has received a contract from the US Department of Defense to manufacture a new Point Blank attack aircraft for the US military. The company revealed the details in an official press release.
The IAI billed the Point Blank as an “electro-optical guided missile,” but its capabilities are close to the stray munitions class often referred to as kamikaze drones. The device is small in size and therefore soldiers can carry it in their backpacks and operate it from their hands. It can take off and land vertically and requires a single operator to operate.
Weighing approximately 7 kg and measuring just under 1 m in length, the Point Blank Missile can fly at an altitude of more than 45 m at a maximum speed of 186 km / h, hover or hover until it detects a target and receives an order to attack. The UAV can carry a warhead for destroying various objects, as well as optical-electronic systems for real-time reconnaissance.
As a result of the competition, IAI received a multimillion-dollar order from the Department of Defense’s Irregular Warfare Technical Assistance Office for the rapid development and delivery of an intelligent missile. The US military decided that the Point Blank system satisfies all the necessary requirements and can increase the combat capability of small tactical groups by making point strikes at the enemy. The company has promised to provide the first prototypes and train soldiers for testing as early as 2023.
“Point Blank joins the Israel Aerospace Industries missile family to provide tactical ground forces with more accurate offensive capabilities,” said Guy Bahr, IAI Vice President.
Earlier, they wrote that the US has developed an Exosonic Revenant drone that imitates Russian Su-57 warplanes. To train American pilots, the device needs to fly faster than sound.
They also wrote that the Israeli firm Elbit Systems will supply seven Watchkeeper X UAVs to Romania and the deal is estimated at $410 million.
Source: Focus
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