The American defense company Leidos Dynetics recently announced that it had successfully completed flight tests of its new Small Cruise Missile (SCM), also known as Black Arrow, in the fall of last year. The missile was launched from an AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft, and the company released video footage of the tests.
"The tests demonstrated aircraft compatibility, system performance, waypoint communication links, targeting accuracy, and integration with the Navy’s Surface Combat Systems Center battle management system," the company stated.
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As stated by Mark Miller, Senior Vice President of Missile and Aviation Systems at the company, the test “gave flight crews the opportunity to see how well our flight control system works.”
The video first shows pallets loaded into the aircraft’s cargo bay with Ramp Launch Tubes (RLTs) for the Black Arrow missiles. It then captures the missile launches, which occur tail-first, followed by wing deployment and engine ignition. The footage also shows the missile’s subsequent flight.
Leidos is developing the Black Arrow small cruise missile for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), under a contract signed three years ago, in 2022. However, the development began a year earlier, in 2021.
According to the signed agreement, the company will continue testing and evaluation of the weapon throughout the current year.
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