The U.S. Navy performed a firing test of a solid fuel ramjet missile prototype from a BQM-34 target UAV modified with a fire control system and pylons.
The test served as a demonstration for both the new missile that has not been named yet and the potential to use the attritable UAVs in offensive roles.
The missile fired from the modified BQM-34 appears to have its air intake located at the nose instead of on the fuselage. The only set of fins on the tail likely provide control. While the role of the missile has not been given in the statement, it might be an air-to-surface type, considering the difficulty of mounting a potent enough radar seeker inside the nose intake.
Solid fuel ramjet offers lower fuel consumption compared to solid fuel rockets of the same size, thanks to throttling by controlling the air flow into the combustion chamber. The technology is currently used on the European Meteor BVRAAM and the Japanese XASM-3 anti-ship missile.
Interest of the U.S. in Attritable UAVs
The U.S. Marines and Air Forces' one of the main areas of the focus for the next decade is the implementation of attritable UAVs that can be sent before the manned aircraft without much worry.
A common merit of these UAVs is the considerably low production costs and ease of deployment in conflict scenarios.
The U.S. Marines are interested in acquiring the XQ-58A UCAV tested in formation flights with F-35B and displayed its offensive capabilities by dropping loitering munitions. The UCAV is mainly launched by a RATO system with parachute recovery, making deployment runway-independent.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
