Northrop Grumman's Hunter-Viper Strike weapon system successfully destroyed a series of moving and stationary targets in testing at the White Sands Missile Range in January. The Viper Strike weapons were guided to their targets by the Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle's (UAV) laser targeting system. The weapons tests were conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office (PEO) for Aviation and the PEO for Missiles and Space.
Using its electro-optical or infrared sensors, Hunter is able to locate an enemy vehicle, report its location to the ground commander, receive permission to engage, fire the weapon, guide the weapon with its laser, and after weapon impact, perform battle damage assessment. Viper Strike is a highly-accurate precision munition that causes minimal collateral damage, making it ideal for urban warfare environments.
"The warfighter is the winner as a result of this accomplishment," said U.S. Army LTC(P) Jeff Gabbert, Hunter program manager.
"The Army has placed the Hunter system in the Combat Aviation Brigade to provide general support to the Division. The integration of Viper Strike with Hunter is a lethal combination that reduces the Army's sensor-to-shooter timeline. It also provides us a capability to strike targets that require long durations to present themselves, in a swift and silent manner anywhere within the battle space."
Viper Strike and Hunter are developed by Northrop Grumman.
"We are committed to providing our soldiers with the most advanced and reliable technology in fighting the global war on terrorism," said Jim Perry, Northrop Grumman's Hunter program manager.
"Northrop Grumman is honored to be part of this U.S. Army - industry team," said Randy Tylicki, Northrop Grumman's Viper Strike program manager. "Viper Strike provides a unique combination of precision and low collateral damage."
Hunter, the Army's workhorse, is a combat-proven UAV with more than 24,000 combat hours in the Balkans and Iraq. It provides warfighters with state-of-the-art reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, communications relay and weapons delivery.
At less than a quarter of the size of the smallest guided bomb, Viper Strike's compact size (36 inches long) and light weight (44 pounds) make it ideal for use on payload-limited aircraft. After the bomb is released, it glides to the target's vicinity, and its seeker then looks for the laser spot from Hunter's laser target designator and makes final adjustments to its flight.
