Working in collaboration with U.S.-based Fulcrum Concepts and Mistral, Israeli company UVision Air has developed a new launch configuration for its Hero-120 mid-range loitering munition (LM). It allows the munition to be launched from helicopters without the need for expensive and time-consuming integration efforts, in addition to bringing new versatility to the employment of such weapons.
Removing the requirement for deep integration into the platform’s avionics and fire control systems frees the Hero-120 for use with a wide range of U.S. and NATO military utility and attack helicopters. This means LMs can support many more military operations, including for next-generation helicopters now under development.
Along with the ease of integration, the system also enables more flexible operations, promoting air/land interoperability through the ability to easily hand off control of the LM to ground-based units. The system supports interchangeable warheads and payloads, permitting rapid in-the-field adaptation for different missions such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as re-rolling between anti-armor and soft target attack.