WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to launch laser-guided missiles designed for urban combat in a recent test series in New Mexico.
Northrop Grumman said in a release Wednesday its Hunter-Viper Strike system successfully engaged both moving and stationary targets at White Sands Missile Range and also provided a real-time damage assessment a short time later.
The attacks involved Viper missiles launched by a Hunter UAV and steered to the target by the Hunter's laser targeting system. The tests, which took place in January, were hailed as adding a new asset to U.S. troops in the field.
"The Army has placed the Hunter system in the Combat Aviation Brigade to provide general support to the division," explained Lt. Col. Jeff Gabbert, the Army's manager for the Hunter program. "It provides us with a capability to strike targets that require long duration to present themselves, in a swift and silent manner anywhere within the battle space."
Northrop released video from the Hunter of the attack, which illustrated the compact punch carried by the diminutive Viper Strike missile. The weapon only weighs 44 pounds. In one test run, a tank was towing an old car along a desert road as the weapon hurtled toward it. In an instant, the doomed car was left with a smoldering hole where the passenger compartment used to be.
Northrop said the small size of the Viper Strike and its laser-guidance made it an ideal weapon for use in urban areas where collateral damage is an issue.
