Category: Headlines

At the NAWCWD (Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Naval Air Weapon Station China Lake, California), the BQM-34 Firebee jet-powered subsonic target presentation drone was successfully used for the first time at the beginning of May as a carrier and simultaneously as a fire control launch platform for the air launch of a solid-fuel ramjet (hypersonic) missile as a demonstrator. Both the Firebee, a development from the 1950s, and the solid fuel used for propulsion in the SFIRR (solid fuel integral rocket ram jet) are not new. However, when paired with the latest technologies, various application possibilities are now opening up. The solid fuel, which is much easier to handle than liquid propellants, is also lighter and significantly favours the parameters of the weapon - at higher speeds, with a higher...