Marines Train With Handheld Swarming Drones That Can Also Be Fired From 40mm Grenade Launchers
Images shared online show Marines conducting training exercises with the Drone40, a tiny quadcopter that can carry a wide variety of payloads.
Images shared online show Marines conducting training exercises with the Drone40, a tiny quadcopter that can carry a wide variety of payloads.
The tiny drones can carry various payloads, including video cameras and explosive warheads, and fly together as a swarm after launch.
Submarine-launched drones are already a reality now and the Navy is working hard to expand their use across its underwater fleets.
The U.S. Army is considering handing out 50mm XM913 Bushmaster automatic cannons to companies working on possible replacements for the service’s Bradly Fighting Vehicles. At least one defense contractors is already pitching a design using this weapon, which reflects a growing Army interest in larger guns for its armored fighting vehicles as potential opponents, particularly Russia, are also up-gunning their fleets.
The Army is looking closely European designs as it seeks to reinvigorate its capabilities to fight large-scale conflicts.
The service canceled the project, but not before securing the design rights and buying all of the existing prototypes and ammunition.
The 40mm Cased Telescoped Cannon is compact and powerful and could arm some of the service’s future Next-Generation Combat Vehicles, too.
It may just be a proof of concept, but it shoots live, 3D-printed grenades and engineers hope the experiment will show promise in the laboratory and out in the field.