Loitering, lethal airborne system for U.S. Army on way

TUCSON, May 27 (UPI) -- Small and lethal loitering airborne systems are to be jointly developed by Raytheon and Israel's UVision for U.S. military requirements.

The first system for the Army's Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems capability will be UVision's Hero-30 manpack, canister-launched system, which will be modified for lethal engagement, Raytheon said.

"Raytheon and UVision will offer U.S. Army small units a new capability with a fully-developed, portable, lethal loitering system," said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missile Systems. "This system significantly enhances the situational awareness and combat power of small units operating on the battlefield."

The electric-powered Hero-30 comes in several variants. The smallest has a 30-minute endurance and features an electro-optical/infrared sensor.

"The Hero-30 plays a significant role for ground forces regardless of the operating environment," said Noam Levitt, UVision chief executive officer. "Our partnership with Raytheon provides valuable battlefield intelligence and the capability to directly engage enemy threats when necessary."