The US has created a reusable interceptor drone that will destroy UAVs (video)
The American company Anduril has created the Roadrunner rocket-like aircraft with a high degree of modularity and autonomy. It can be reused.
This was reported by The War Zone.
The company’s founder, Palmer Luckey, and Chief Strategy Officer, Chris Brose, spoke in detail about the Roadrunner and Roadrunner-M with a high-explosive warhead. The design of the drone has been in the works for about two years. The full-size prototypes have already undergone intensive flight testing, including a demonstration for an unnamed customer in the United States.
“It’s a cross between a reusable rocket and… a full-scale autonomous airplane. The Roadrunner itself is a fully reusable aircraft, and you can put a lot of payloads on it and it’s quite reusable,” says Lucky.
At present, company representatives cannot name all the characteristics, but they say that the Roadrunner will reach high subsonic speeds. One operator can manage several Roadrunners at once. The product itself is equipped with a pair of in-house developed turbojet engines.
The Roadrunner is launched vertically. It can be in standby mode to attack a target in the air. After completing the mission, it will land on the ground. Once refueled, the drone will be ready for new missions.
The launch container also has a significant number of technologies. It will analyze Roadrunner’s control systems and sensors. The cost of one interceptor is estimated at “several hundred thousand dollars.” As mass production increases, the cost will decrease.
“Innovations in the Roadrunner-M include faster launch and takeoff times, three times the payload, ten times the effective one-way range, and three times the maneuverability of similar offerings on the market,” the company says.
The main targets for the Roadrunner will be drones.
