Artillery: UAV Programmed to Identify Quick Targets

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November 8, 2007: Israel has come up with a very effective combination of micro-UAV and guided missile. The 13 pound SkyLite B UAV, which can be backpacked into action and used by infantry. The SkyLite has the ability to calculate the GPS coordinates of anything it sees. The UAV operator makes the decision, and can then pass those coordinates back to the operators of Spike ER guided missiles. These 80 pound missiles have a range of eight kilometers. This sort of system has been proposed before, but last year the Israelis actually used it, successfully, last year in Lebanon, against elusive Hizbollah fighters. Israel is offering the UAV (and controller) for $50,000. Each Spike ER costs $100,000, and the U.S. is interested in using cheaper smart bombs, shells or rockets, in place of the Israeli missile. It's just a matter of transmitting those GPS coordinates to the pilot or artillery unit, in order to get your smart weapon launched.

 

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