Americas
The Vanilla unmanned aircraft system has set a new world record for unrefueled, internal combustion endurance of an unmanned aircraft on October 2. The drone took off from Edwards Air Force Base and flew for 8 days, 50 minutes, and 47 seconds. The distance covered was 12,200 miles. The Vanilla is designed as a cost-effective, airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform that can be launched immediately to provide persistent coverage.
The US Army wants to perform a test launch of its Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, later today, with the goal of seeing just how far the Lockheed Martin-made weapon can go. The launch is planned from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The goal is for the weapon to hit a target 499km away — roughly 310 miles or around the distance between Washington, DC, and Hartford, Conn. — in what is being described by Lockheed executives as a “max-range” test.
Middle East & Africa
Israel’s Rafael unveils its newly enhanced SAMSON 30mm Integrated RWS for light vehicles, designed to meet the threats of the modern battlefield, this week at AUSA 2021 in Washington, DC. The RWS features hostile fire detection capabilities and the ability to rapidly and effectively return fire via a fast, accurate slew-to-cue mechanism. It also includes a unified user interface for all subsystems, an inherent hatch for close situational awareness, and under-armor ammunition loading that increases lethality. These capabilities enable the SAMSON to turn light vehicle into powerful assets.
Europe
British rocket company Skyrora has inked a multi-launch deal with the SaxaVord spaceport on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands, as it moves closer to launching its XL rocket in 2022. The multi-launch agreement with SaxaVord will run for the next decade.
The UK deployed a Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime multimission aircraft to Iceland for the type’s first overseas visit. The deployment was part of increased cooperation between the UK and Iceland. After a training sortie in the Greenland, Iceland and UK Gap, the maritime patrol aircraft flew into Keflavik airbase.
Asia-Pacific
HSM-51 and VX-51 of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) carried their first joint training exercise on September 14. A MH-60R Seahawk from HSM-51 and an SH-60K from VX-51 flew a Tactical Formation (TACFORM) flight, and a dual helicopter Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) tracking exercise over the Philippine Sea.
Today’s Video
Watch: Vanilla Unmanned has big plans for the US Navy | Vanilla Unmanned
