The US Army plans to develop a new missile that can pack armed drones, according to a solicitation for design proposals from the Department of Defence.
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The missile would be able to release a swarm of drones with the capability to release munitions, Defense News reported.
The drones once released, will home in on multiple targets, carrying "explosively formed penetrators (EFP)" and thus one single missile would be able to take down targets in a fairly larger area. The targets could include tanks, gun barrels, vehicle roofs, fuel storage barrels and ammunition storage sites.
"The ultimate goal is to produce a missile deployable, long range UAS swarm that can deliver small explosively formed projectiles (EFP) to a variety of targets. This will serve as a smart augmentation to the standard missile warhead," said the Department of Defence request.
Quadcopter swarms represent a cost-effective way to engage variety of targets. Recently, Pentagon has tested over hundred Perdix microdrones being released from F/A-18 Super Hornets.
However, developing AI system for the drones to identify and release munitions is challenging and since quadcopters have fragile wings, they won't fit squarely inside the missile.
The prototype phase will be initiated once the US Army gets design proposals from the contractors. The designs will be tested during the prototype phase. If the tests are successful, the missile will make its way into the battlefield, eventually.
