(intelligence surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance), ASW (anti-submarine warfare), electronic warfare, communication relay, border protection, combat support, and force protection, and can be integrated with the naval combat management system. Leonardo’s integrated capabilities in rotary-wing platforms, system integration, UAS systems, and support/training services as well as proprietary technology delivers AWHero’s operators with unmatched system growth and customization potential and through-life cycle support benefits.
Since 2019, AWHero has been conducting maritime surveillance capability demonstrations on ships within the framework of the Ocean2020 initiative, the European Defence Fund strategic research program for naval surveillance technology and maritime safety, including 43 organizations across Europe and led by Leonardo. It has benefited from a range of capability demonstration initiatives in the RUAS domain in Italy, U.K. and Europe.
Leonardo is the only company in Europe able to provide complete solutions by designing and developing all the elements of uncrewed systems: platforms, sensors, mission systems and control stations, and to offer customers a certified low-risk, highly effective, fully integrated capability. Leonardo is a key partner and contributor to significant European uncrewed system programs, and Leonardo’s expertise and capabilities in the sector have been extensively demonstrated during international exercises. Leonardo has developed proprietary uncrewed systems and technologies, including anti-drone capabilities and uncrewed traffic management (UTM) systems. The continuous development and integration of cutting-edge solutions across all domains of remotely piloted and autonomous/semi-autonomous systems and technologies is a key element of Leonardo’s “Be Tomorrow 2030” Strategic Plan.
Loitering Munitions of Past and Present,” finds that the origins of these weapons are more complex than often understood and that the market for one-way attack (OWA) drones has grown larger than expected.
The study traces the evolution of one-way attack drones from military programs in the early 1970s up to the present day.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, the advent of new fabrication materials and lightweight sensors facilitated the development of low-cost drones to target adversary radar sites. In time, the military applications of OWA drones broadened beyond the suppression of an enemy air defenses (SEAD) role. In the early 2000s, the emergence of the Switchblade drone provided the infantry with its own portable loitering munition, while the spread of Iranian drones enabled a host of non-state and, increasingly, state actors to use low-cost drones to conduct long-range precision strikes.
“The development of one-way attack drones formed a critical part of the transition from the era of jet-powered target drones to that of remotely piloted vehicles, which resulted in the burgeoning market for drones of all types that exists today,” said Dan Gettinger, VFS Director of Communications and Publications, and the author of the study. “Once thought of as designed for a specialized task, one-way attack drones are increasingly assuming a broader role on the battlefield.”
The market for one-way attack drones is growing dramatically, with as many new models of aircraft revealed in the past two years as those unveiled in the previous five decades combined. Drawing on an original database of over 200 types of one-way attack drones, the study finds that more than 120 entities in over 30 countries are developing or producing these weapons or have done so previously. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) one-way attack drones represent a rapidly emerging segment of the market and currently account for more than one in four models of OWA drones, a reflection of a broader trend towards lightweight, hand-carried models.
Vertical Flight Society Publishes Study About One-Way Attack Drones
The Vertical Flight Society (VFS) recently published an expansive report on one-way attack drones, also known as loitering munitions. The study, “One-Way Attack Drones: The
The consequences of this transformation are evident in the host of ongoing military research and acquisition programs worldwide. The adoption of one-way attack drones in greater numbers and variety has the potential to lead to changes in force structures, training and operations. The dominance of drones, including one-way attack drones, in recent armed conflicts such as Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh have underscored the vulnerabilities of current air defenses. For crewed rotorcraft, one-way attack drones are seen as offering the possibility of increasing the lethality and survivability of Future Vertical Lift platforms.
The VFS report “One-Way Attack Drones: The Loitering Munitions of Past and Present” can be purchased from the VFS Vertical Flight Library at
www.vtol.org/library, along with the dataset of aircraft on which the analysis is based.
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