Lockheed Martin QuadStar is a promising successor to the FIM—92 Stinger missile in the US Army competition

QuadStar

Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new QuadStar missile, which is participating in the US Department of Defense's competition to replace the outdated FIM-92 Stinger portable air defense missile. The competition is held as part of the Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI) program, which also involves the development of Raytheon. Both projects are aimed at creating a more effective short-range interceptor with improved characteristics.

The QuadStar is a compact missile about 1.5 meters long with a diameter of 2.75 inches, equipped with an infrared guidance system and a high—explosive fragmentation warhead. Unlike previous Lockheed designs such as the Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK), the QuadStar uses an explosive warhead to enhance the effectiveness of hitting both small drones and larger targets, including fixed-wing aircraft.

One of the key features of the QuadStar is its advanced target acquisition technology, based on Lockheed's expertise in aerodynamics and miniaturization of electronics. The rocket has a modular architecture, which makes it easier to integrate new features and updates in the future. In addition, the project pays special attention to reducing production costs while maintaining high efficiency.

An important element of the new system is the Command Launch Assembly (CLA), which provides automatic target recognition, friend—foe identification, and simplifies the process of missile guidance and launch. This significantly increases the operator's reaction speed and reduces the risk of errors.

The NGSRI program is part of the broader strategy of the US Army to modernize its Short Range Air Defense (MHORAD) capabilities, including the integration of new missile systems and energy weapons based on mobile platforms.

Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have received prototype development contracts with a total budget of over $700 million. It is expected that the final selection of the winner of the competition will be made after several years of testing and improvements.

Ukraine unveils the Bars drone rocket

 Ukraine has developed a new rocket, the Bars drone

Here's what the manufacturer says:

Bars was developed by private manufacturers. It belongs to the class of so-called cruise missile drones: it is a cross between a conventional cruise missile and a drone, more often an aircraft type with a warhead of about 50-100 kg and a small turbojet engine. Drone missiles can be launched from both ground installations and aircraft.

The range of the Leopard is approximately 700-800 km, it is a medium-range weapon. According to sources, a significant advantage of this missile is the possibility of mass production in Ukraine.

This is not the first such project, before that, we recall, there was a drone rocket "Trembita".

General Atomics and Rafael team up to produce long-range Bullseye missile

The Bullseye rocket

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Israeli defense contractor Rafael for the production of a new long-range, high-precision Bullseye attack missile in the United States.

The Bullseye rocket will be capable of launching from the air, land and sea. It will use a design similar to that used in the Rafael Ice Breaker rocket. GA-EMS will become the main contractor for the production of a missile that will meet the specifications of the US Armed Forces and provide launch capabilities from various platforms to effectively hit targets at long range.

Bullseye is at Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL 8), which means that the technology in the rocket has already been tested in practice. The rocket will be equipped with a very low observable (VLO) and integrated systems for control and navigation. This will allow Bullseye to provide high accuracy of hitting targets in various conditions.

Cooperation between GA-EMS and Rafael within the Bullseye project will reduce the risks and costs of development, as well as ensure the mass production of high-performance rockets with significant savings per unit. The Bullseye missiles will be manufactured at the GA-EMS plant in Tupelo, Mississippi, which specializes in manufacturing complex systems for U.S. national security.

Unsuccessful launch of the Spectrum rocket

 The first launch of the Spectrum rocket by Isar Aerospace failed on March 30, when the device lost orientation control a few seconds after launch and crashed back to Earth.

The Spectrum rocket took off from the Annaya Cosmodrome in northern Norway at 6:30 a.m. eastern time. Weather conditions delayed the launch by more than a week. The company had a launch period from March 20 to March 31.

The rocket soared into the clear sky, but apparently lost orientation control about 25 seconds after launch, shortly after the company's webcast announcer announced that the rocket would perform a pitch maneuver designed to allow the rocket to gain horizontal speed and altitude.

Spectrum rocket