Augmenting the Vigilante™ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System for Safe, Effective, and Flexible Employment of 2.75-Inch Rockets

As unmanned aerial vehicles continue to mature, the desire for them to be more versatile and take on new roles is becoming more prevalent. The integration of weapons onto these aircraft significantly enhances their utility to the warfighter. The U.S. Army’s Aviation Applied Technology Directorate is striving to establish the viability of employing 2.75-inch rockets from a lightweight vertical takeoff and landing unmanned air vehicle. As part of this effort, the Vigilante 502 is being outfitted with a four-tube smart launcher that is connected to the aircraft through a MIL-STD-1760 aircraft/store electrical interconnection system, and controlled by a remotely operated and extensible stores management system. If successful, in-flight rocket firings will demonstrate that already capable lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles can become armed mission assets. This paper details the equipment supporting rocket integration, as well as its use in upcoming ground and flight tests.