![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/25fdb2ceacdc23ad2c495242b83321e9-300x240.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I am in awe of what science can do today – and the following helps demonstrate why.<\/p>\n
Cummings Aerospace is submitting a new drone for Army approval in its ‘loitering munition’ competition. Sounds kinda boring, huh?<\/p>\n
\nThe company took its S3 version of its man-portable loitering munition out to the Pendleton Unmanned Aircraft Systems test range in Oregon this month and was able to verify and validate the system\u2019s performance against the Army\u2019s preliminary Low Altitude Stalking and Striking Ordnance, or LASSO, program requirements, CEO Sheila Cummings told Defense News in a Tuesday interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were able to successfully demonstrate that we could meet the range requirements for LASSO and then ultimately trying to make sure that we\u2019re exercising the max flight speed and so we achieved that,\u201d Cummings said. \u201cWe were also able to successfully integrate an inert warhead and conduct flights with that as well as test other subsystem functionality that are critical to overall system verification and validation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Might oughta note the Hellhound is turbojet powered, not propeller driven, so it’s much faster than its competition. Notice it said man-portable?<\/p>\n
In the tests, the loitering munition, weighing in at less than 25 pounds, flew faster than 350 miles per hour at half throttle while passing distances of 20 kilometers using just 50% of its fuel, according to the company. It performed in wind, snow and very low temperatures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Should observe that a jerry can of gas weighs more than that.\u00a0\u00a0 Oh, and did I mention it is 3D printed?<\/p>\n
Cummings is a Native American woman-owned small business founded in 2009 as an aerospace engineering outfit with expertise in design, development, production and sustainment of capabilities like missiles, radars and command-and-control system technologies. Defense News<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Somewhere someone playing Buzzword Bingo (from a great IBM ad for you kids IBM<\/a> ) just won.<\/p>\n
3D printed, probably over 400 mph, loiters, armed… and weighs less than an old M-60 machine gun. Damn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"