June 17,2008:
European firm BAE has developed a
new armed UAV. The Fury is based on the earlier HERTI (High Endurance Rapid
Technology Insertion) UAV. Both are medium sized aircraft, weighing about 1,500
pounds, with s 330 pound payload. Fury
will be armed with the new LMM (Lightweight Multirole Missile). Weighing 29 pounds, with a range of 8
kilometers and carrying a 6.5 pound fragmentation warhead, the LMM uses laser
guidance. Fury has four hardpoints, thus it could carry four HMMs. Technically, Fury could carry two Hellfire
missiles. These weigh a hundred pounds each, and have 20 pound warheads (about
half of which is explosives). That's three times the "bang" as the LMM, but for
most targets, the smaller explosion is preferable. Moreover, most users prefer
a more powerful (and heavier) load of sensors in the Fury. This UAV/missile
combination is not expected to be in service for another three years, if ever
(lack of sales could kill the projects).