Drone Dominance ‘R’ Us: Suite of tools destroy drone bottlenecks
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - In modern drone-based warfare, a new mission would typically require finding new aircraft and matching them with different munitions, but engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center seek to break that bottleneck with a pair of advancements.
These advancements come at the confluence of two successful research teams, one mastering safe and efficient detonating systems, the other designing a new generation of “plug-and-play" scalable warheads to engage a variety of targets such as personnel and armor.
These two projects are the HEX electronic safe and arm device (HEX-ESAD), developed by the Common Armament Guidance and Fusing Technologies, and the Picatinny Lethal Unmanned Systems (PLUS), courtesy of Next Generation Warhead Technologies, both here at the Armaments Center.
The pair excel in their ability to snap onto one another like Legos, so modifications that previously required either building or using a different drone altogether now only require swapping the warhead and peripherals such as target sensors to fit the mission.
Both contribute to the Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit (CLIK) ecosystem, which aims to free units to modify lethal drop, glide and direct fire munitions by providing standard interfaces. This includes streamlined setup for one-way “kamikaze” direct fire missions commonly used with low-cost first-person view drones.
According to Brandon Cotroneo, Fuze Engineering and Development Branch industrial engineer and project test lead, the HEX-ESAD can recognize what warhead is installed and adapt its safety and firing parameters accordingly. It uses a sequential arming process and uses first-person goggle commands to visibly guide users through preparation and firing.
The PLUS suite of warheads, said Warheads Division senior research engineer Daniel Suarez, can be equipped to almost any drone in use, and are optimized based on scalability, effectiveness, cost and production figures. These munitions were specifically selected to balance high lethality with low production costs, quick manufacturing, and low weight – all currently end user priorities.
The two teams are working closely with end users to gather feedback and streamline design decisions, improving the timeline from design to testing. Following a successful test at Picatinny Arsenal in the spring, the programs will continue their testing schedules to refine their systems and bring in more feedback. According to Suarez, users are "very eager" to expand their options, both in the types of drones they can deploy and the different types of effectors, or warheads, the Warheads Division can produce for them.
Cotroneo called production of the HEX-ESAD “one of the most exciting projects” he has worked on yet, noting how much he has learned and the relationships developed. He called the idea of end users having the capability to choose what they need to complete missions, and the ability to seamlessly and easily install modules they require, a “game changer.”
Suarez feted the PLUS suite’s fluid nature and how simple it will be to adapt emerging technologies to the suite. He noted how much appetite exists for new technologies rather than improving on existing legacy products, just in time for a battlefield expected to be dominated by drones.
Portfolio Management Executive Ammunition and EnergeticsDeputy Project Manager Joseph Pelino called the transition to these modular warhead technologies a “strategic leap” in how the U.S. Army will use its unmanned systems in future operations. By packing these swappable weapons into one universal system, he said, the Army can outpace fast-moving threats and work in tandem with other military branches to maintain its battlefield edge.
"This transition reflects exactly the kind of adaptable, next‑generation capability the Army needs,” added Capability Program Executive for Ammunition and Energetics Assistant Program Manager Maj. Jacob Allan LaGue.
“By advancing modular, mission‑tailorable drone effects, we are accelerating innovation that strengthens Soldier protection and delivers decisive overmatch across tomorrow’s battlefield."
The Armaments Center is using its own HEX design as a gold standard for Picatinny CLIK-compliant lethality integration. The Picatinny CLIK standard is currently available to industry partners to utilize when building weaponized drone technologies.
To ensure these new technologies are reliable, affordable, and simple to manufacture, the Armaments Center is partnering with the National Armaments Consortium through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. The Armaments Center is also working closely with Project Manager Close Combat Systems at Picatinny Arsenal, which is responsible for deploying drone payload efforts to the Army. Ultimately, these scientific and technological investments will be handed over to the Army's acquisition team to shape drone warfare in the future.
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