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Any decent engineer would make the fuel part of the warhead.
Drones, the Air Littoral, and the Looming Irrelevance of the USAF
- Thread starter dimsum
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Japan going heavy on drones for its coastal defence - above, on and under the water
And it is not just defensive missile costs that are problematic.
Every incursion into Japanese airspace demands a response by 2x F15s at a cost of about 5,000,000 yen per hour whether the intruder is crewed or uncrewed. The uncrewed vehicle is estimated to cost 70,000 yen per hour.
Japan scrambled its fighters its fighters 304 tines in 2024-25.
30 events included uncrewed vehicles.
It all costs money.
apnews.com
And it is not just defensive missile costs that are problematic.
Every incursion into Japanese airspace demands a response by 2x F15s at a cost of about 5,000,000 yen per hour whether the intruder is crewed or uncrewed. The uncrewed vehicle is estimated to cost 70,000 yen per hour.
Japan scrambled its fighters its fighters 304 tines in 2024-25.
30 events included uncrewed vehicles.
It all costs money.
Russia and China veto watered-down UN resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz
Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
apnews.com
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At the lighter end of the scale
interestingengineering.com
UK's HAL10 launcher can send 10 drones into the sky within seconds
UK company introduces HAL10 launcher capable of deploying 10 WASP modular drones for rapid reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance.
interestingengineering.com
HavokFour
Army.ca Veteran
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At the lighter end of the scale
View attachment 99618
UK's HAL10 launcher can send 10 drones into the sky within seconds
UK company introduces HAL10 launcher capable of deploying 10 WASP modular drones for rapid reconnaissance and battlefield surveillance.
Was wondering about the payload, it's 1kg. Nice looking purpose built FPV.
The cone end is actually the back of it.
ISSOS WASP » ISS Aerospace
WASP is a robust, tube-launched UAV representing next generation technology for semi-autonomous aerial systems.
www.issaerospace.com
Lot's of changes since 2023.
Baby picture.
ISS Aerospace announces NEW tactical UAV for time critical tasking » ISS Aerospace
ISS Aerospace announces NEW tactical UAV for time critical tasking ISS Aerospace (www.issaerospace.com), a leading UK innovator of cutting-edge Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), is pleased to announce the unveiling of the tube-launched […]
www.issaerospace.com
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A key element in turning both attack and interceptor drones into a more effective reality: Low cost, disposable jet engines.
www.airandspaceforces.com
"Beehive says its 200-pound Frenzy 8 engine is part of the FAMM program through a prototyping effort to develop small expendable turbines.
"The Frenzy 8 can hit 100-300 pounds of thrust. Beehive says it is also developing a 100-pound variant, Frenzy 6, which has 100 pounds of thrust. The new contract is to complete vehicle integration, flight testing, and qualification of Frenzy 8 and begin manufacturing a test version of Frenzy 6, with options for for further development.
"Beehive is one of at at least half a dozen companies working on small engines capable of producing between 200 and 3,000 pounds of thrust for Air Force programs like FAMM and Collaborative Combat Aircraft—and that push is poised to expand in fiscal 2027; the service is requesting $973 million for FAMM between R&D and procurement and $1.37 billion for developing CCAs, among other efforts."
Tomahawk uses a 30 kg jet that generates between 400 and 1700 lbf of thrust, depending on model.
Kratos's Valkyrie uses a 2000 lbf engine, the Mako uses a 1000 lbf engine and the Firejet uses a pair of 80 lbf engines for a total of 160 lbf
Firejet Weight at launch 320 lb
Payload of 70 lb
Range 400 NM
Endurance 1.3 hours
Air Force Awards Contract to Develop Small, Disposable Engines
The Air Force awarded a $29.7 million contract to Beehive Industries to complete work on its small, disposable Frenzy 8 jet engine.
www.airandspaceforces.com
"Beehive says its 200-pound Frenzy 8 engine is part of the FAMM program through a prototyping effort to develop small expendable turbines.
"The Frenzy 8 can hit 100-300 pounds of thrust. Beehive says it is also developing a 100-pound variant, Frenzy 6, which has 100 pounds of thrust. The new contract is to complete vehicle integration, flight testing, and qualification of Frenzy 8 and begin manufacturing a test version of Frenzy 6, with options for for further development.
"Beehive is one of at at least half a dozen companies working on small engines capable of producing between 200 and 3,000 pounds of thrust for Air Force programs like FAMM and Collaborative Combat Aircraft—and that push is poised to expand in fiscal 2027; the service is requesting $973 million for FAMM between R&D and procurement and $1.37 billion for developing CCAs, among other efforts."
Tomahawk uses a 30 kg jet that generates between 400 and 1700 lbf of thrust, depending on model.
Kratos's Valkyrie uses a 2000 lbf engine, the Mako uses a 1000 lbf engine and the Firejet uses a pair of 80 lbf engines for a total of 160 lbf
Firejet Weight at launch 320 lb
Payload of 70 lb
Range 400 NM
Endurance 1.3 hours
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
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Cool idea. Canada will want to recover and rebuild the engines…A key element in turning both attack and interceptor drones into a more effective reality: Low cost, disposable jet engines.
Air Force Awards Contract to Develop Small, Disposable Engines
The Air Force awarded a $29.7 million contract to Beehive Industries to complete work on its small, disposable Frenzy 8 jet engine.
"Beehive says its 200-pound Frenzy 8 engine is part of the FAMM program through a prototyping effort to develop small expendable turbines.
"The Frenzy 8 can hit 100-300 pounds of thrust. Beehive says it is also developing a 100-pound variant, Frenzy 6, which has 100 pounds of thrust. The new contract is to complete vehicle integration, flight testing, and qualification of Frenzy 8 and begin manufacturing a test version of Frenzy 6, with options for for further development.
"Beehive is one of at at least half a dozen companies working on small engines capable of producing between 200 and 3,000 pounds of thrust for Air Force programs like FAMM and Collaborative Combat Aircraft—and that push is poised to expand in fiscal 2027; the service is requesting $973 million for FAMM between R&D and procurement and $1.37 billion for developing CCAs, among other efforts."
Tomahawk uses a 30 kg jet that generates between 400 and 1700 lbf of thrust, depending on model.
Kratos's Valkyrie uses a 2000 lbf engine, the Mako uses a 1000 lbf engine and the Firejet uses a pair of 80 lbf engines for a total of 160 lbf
Firejet Weight at launch 320 lb
Payload of 70 lb
Range 400 NM
Endurance 1.3 hours
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Britain thought AI-powered ‘robot fighter jets’ were years away. The Royal Air Force chief says the future is already here.
The head of the Royal Air Force told Business Insider that uncrewed aircraft are coming and being integrated into the force faster than expected.
www.businessinsider.com
"Air Chief Marshal Harvey Smyth, the head of the British Royal Air Force, said the UK initially thought it was roughly a decade away from becoming what he described as an "AI air force" that operates "robot fighter jets" alongside traditional crewed aircraft.
""We've known that that is our future, but maybe two, three years ago, we would have talked about 2035 as the endpoint. I think it's today," "
HavokFour
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Japan is deploying ultra-cheap cardboard drones built for swarm warfare and expendable combat missions — $2,000 expendable combat drones cost less than some gaming PCs
$2000 drones vs. millions of dollars worth of military equipment
$2000-$2500
Can remain in the air for 80 minutes or travel ~50 miles with a 3lbs payload.
Can be assembled in 5-10 minutes.
Shipped flat packed, 500 can fit into 1 standard shipping container.
Manufacturer's website:
AirKamuy｜Fixed wing aircraft manufacture in Japan
AirKamuy develops and manufactures fixed-wing VTOL aircraft and provides solutions using unmanned aircraft. We design from zero and assemble by ourselves, aiming to become the world’s number one fixed-wing VTOL aircraft manufacturer, and contribute to the world through the development of drones.
en.airkamuy.com
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Japan is deploying ultra-cheap cardboard drones built for swarm warfare and expendable combat missions — $2,000 expendable combat drones cost less than some gaming PCs
$2000 drones vs. millions of dollars worth of military equipmentwww.tomshardware.com
$2000-$2500
Can remain in the air for 80 minutes or travel ~50 miles with a 3lbs payload.
Can be assembled in 5-10 minutes.
Shipped flat packed, 500 can fit into 1 standard shipping container.
Trust the Japanese to come up with an Origami UAS.
HavokFour
Army.ca Veteran
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I added the manufacturer's website, have a look at their transforming Σ-1 VTOL drone.
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Likeable.
