Prototype rockets developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) successfully hit two high speed boats during a recent test, the agency said recently.
Low-Cost Imaging Terminal Seeker (LCITS) rockets are a suite of low-cost technologies that turn existing rockets carried by helicopters into precision-guided weapons with a “fire-and-forget” capability.
“No longer do you have to continue to monitor the target after you’ve fired the weapon,” Ken Heeke, the ONR program officer for the Low-Cost Imaging Terminal Seeker (LCITS), said. “You can move on to the next threat with the assurance that the rocket will hit the target.”
During the Nov. 3 test at Point Mugu, Calif., the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division engineers used a shore-based launcher to fire two LCITS rockets, one inert and the other with an explosive warhead, ONR said.
Onboard imaging infrared seekers identified their intended targets among five maneuvering small boats, and the rockets adjusted trajectories to intercept and eliminate two of the boats, ONR said.
The test was part of the Medusa Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, which is funded by the Navy, Office of the Secretary of Defense and South Korea.