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BAE Systems’ Razer munition completes latest flight trials
The latest iteration of the Razer Low-Cost Precision Guided Munition (LCPGM) has been successfully flight tested according to its manufacturer, BAE Systems Australia.
The LCPMG incorporated refined aerodynamics and onboard systems, the company says, and the fast-tracked trials program was conducted at a commercial test facility in Cloncurry, Queensland. Initial flight trials were undertaken around the end of 2023 leading to a more robust and advanced design for subsequent trials.
Razer, which was announced at the Avalon Air Show in February 2023, has a modular design based on a 155mm artillery round and has a wing/body kit to transform a 40-50kg artillery round into a precision air-launched projectile.
The latest trial involved an inert Razer flight vehicle being launched from a helicopter and gliding to a ground target approximately 3,500m from the release point. The maximum range is understood to be well in excess of this figure.
This trial allowed the development team to gather data on aerodynamics, avionics, navigation and other system in preparation for the next phase of the project.
The company said in a statement that Razer is a glide munition, not dissimilar in concept to the JDAM-ER, so its range is a function of height at the time of release. The trial was conducted on a commercial range from a limited release height due to range safety controls.
The purpose of the trial, emphasised BAE Systems Australia, was to prove functionality associated with wing deployment, navigation and accuracy, not range. The company did not provide an accuracy figure, noting that this is an early trial, but Razer is understood to have exceeded initial expectations.
The current focus, added the company, is on the completion of the baseline design with the aim of being in production within 2025. “We are currently discussing opportunities with several international customers,” it says. “Further development spirals aimed at incorporating additional capability will follow on from the initial sales.”
BAE Systems Australia has never attempted such a high-speed development approach, according to Leon MacLaren, the company’s Program Manager – Future Guided Weapons Products.
”Razer is innovative because it’s a multi-purpose system that will cater for a variety of light munitions in different sizes and masses,” he said. “Defence forces will be able to take an available unguided munition and configure it with Razer to increase capability. This means the munition can go a lot further, hit a target more accurately and better protect service people by taking them out of harm’s way.”
The Razer is one of several internally funded BAE Systems Australia product development programs; others include the STRIX UAV, whose first flight was announced last month, and the ATLAS Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System, an autonomous, wheeled collaborative combat vehicle announced at last year Land Forces 2024 Expo in Melbourne.