AeroVironment, Inc. announced today the first successful multi-drop, live fire GPS-guided Shryke munitions from the VAPOR® 55 MX, all-electric unmanned aircraft system in collaboration with Corvid and L3Harris Technologies. The VAPOR 55 MX carried four rounds simultaneously and flawlessly showcased the live fire effects of this capability. The integration of Shryke munitions on the VAPOR 55 MX allows for multiple targets to be designated in one single flight. “Shryke’s size and weight make it the ideal choice for the weaponized VAPOR 55 MX. The lethality of a 40mm anti-armor modular warhead paired with a lightweight glider provides a highly effective, low-collateral damage solution to the front lines,” said Kyle Bowen, Corvid’s Shryke business development director. The open software and hardware architecture provides added versatility to the VAPOR 55 MX and continues to allow customers to integrate third-party payloads of their choice without being impacted by excessive non-recurring engineering costs and schedule delays.
Shryke, developed by Corvid Technologies and L3Harris Technologies, is known for its versatile, multi-mission precision strike capability, meeting the requirement to stay within 1-2 meters of the designated target. Equipped with a MIL-STD-1316 Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD), L3Harris’ integrator guarantees safety-critical initiation-on-command for energetic systems and facilitates the secure post-flight recovery of remaining installed munitions. “Collaborating with our partners to develop the multi-drop Shryke payload to integrate seamlessly with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) design of the VAPOR 55 MX gives us a real market advantage. Quick integration for the warfighter continues to be our top priority,” said Jason Wright, AeroVironment’s senior product line manager.
The all-electric VAPOR helicopter unmanned aircraft system is extremely versatile and can be easily configured to support a variety of mission requirements. VAPOR delivers precision flight performance, exceptional endurance, and maximum payload flexibility for defense, commercial and industrial applications. VAPOR’s modular payload bay and multi-sensor capacity allows for a wide range of sensors including gimbaled EO/IR, multispectral, LIDAR, Comms relay, SIGINT, Armed VTOL as well as Drop/Delivery mechanism to be easily integrated or swapped to expand operational capabilities. This expansive modular payload bay can carry up to 10 pounds of payload with more than 70 minutes of flight endurance while maintaining the 55-pound gross take-off weight (GTOW) restricted by the FAA for commercial customers. For military customers that require more take-off weight, VAPOR 55 MX is capable of a 65-pound GTOW and can carry up to 20 pounds of usable payloads with a reduced endurance trade-off.
AeroVironment, Inc. is an American defense contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Paul B. MacCready Jr., a designer of human-powered aircraft, founded the company in 1971. The company is best known for its lightweight human-powered and solar-powered vehicles. The company is the US military’s top supplier of small drones —notably the Raven, Switchblade, Wasp and Puma models. The company pioneered and is a leader in the markets for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Loitering Munition Systems, Unmanned Ground Vehicles and High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites.
