Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, has been awarded a prototype agreement by the U.S. Army to develop and demonstrate its Damocles loitering munition technology for the Low Altitude Stalking & Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company will deliver the Damocles loitering munition system to the U.S. Army for evaluation. This system is equipped with an advanced GEN2 Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) and is engineered to provide decisive lethality within peer warfare environments. For the LASSO program, the system is integrated with a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS), a configuration that enables top-attack capability without the requirement for specialized launch or recovery equipment.
The Damocles system utilizes a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to facilitate the integration of diverse payloads. This design supports various concepts of operation, such as the deployment of electronic warfare effects. To address battlefield safety and reduce the risk of hazardous remnants, the system incorporates specific features designed to prevent unexploded ordnance.
Henry Finneral, Senior Vice President, Weapon Systems, commented, “Loitering munitions technology will be key in protecting the warfighter on the battlefield – they allow warfighters to send systems like Damocles Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) to engage a target from a safer standoff distance. Textron Systems is proud to support this mission and leverage our industry-leading EFP technology to provide next-generation capability at speed and at scale.”
