U.S. testing tiny guided missile

CHINA LAKE, Calif., April 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says it is moving ahead with tests of a 5-pound guided missile the size of a loaf of French bread.

Military researchers are also preparing to test the 2-foot-long Spike missile, which is about one-fourth the size of the world's previous smallest missile, The Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

The Spike tests, to be conducted at the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, Calif., could mark a milestone in the development of weapons that can be carried by unmanned aircraft and make more precise and powerful strikes, the newspaper said.

The Predator drone aircraft being used by the United States to attack Taliban militants in Afghanistan could hold as many as 12 Spike missiles, compared with the two or three 100-pound Hellfire missiles they now carry, military officials said.

The Times reported that smaller missiles would also allow for the development of smaller unmanned aircraft to carry them.