Shadow UAS launches Shadow Hawk munition

Lockheed Martin has announced the successfully launch of a Shadow Hawk precision-guided weapon recently from a Shadow 200 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) for the first time. The weapon achieved a direct hit on the target in the firing, announced 1 May, 2012.

Shadow Hawk is an 11-pound class, 2.75-inch diameter, 27-inch long drop-glide weapon. It is terminally guided by a semi-active laser seeker, providing better than one meter precision. Shadow Hawk also provides an essential off-axis capability, enabling engagement of designated targets off the aircraft’s wing.

The test was conducted at the UAS Rapid Integration and Acceptance Centre, Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah. The Shadow Hawk munition was released from an altitude of 5,100 feet and impacted the target at a speed of 460 feet per second. Shadow Hawk’s sensor package, guidance electronics and control section successfully navigated the weapon to the target, hitting it just eight inches off the laser spot centre. For this initial demonstration, the target was designated with a ground location laser designator.

The weapon is being developed to meet the evolving mission spectrum of the Shadow UAV. According to the company, the Shadow Hawk delivers a precision strike capability in order to neutralize threats detected and designated by the aircraft’s sensor package. As well as having minimum impact to the aircraft’s endurance, the weapon is also a solution for urban environments where low collateral damage is essential.

As a lightweight, compact and modular precision weapon, Shadow Hawk reliably delivers an effective and lethal anti-personnel warhead from UAS platforms with limited size and weight payload capacities. Its low weight enables the Shadow UAS to maintain longer time-on-station for performing critical reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition operations.