The Low Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS) was a loitering attack munition developed for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
(USAF). In 1998 the USAF and
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
Lockheed Martin began to examine the feasibility of a small, affordable
cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhea ...
weapon for use against
armoured
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or ...
and unarmoured vehicles,
materiel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the spec ...
and personnel, and if so develop a demonstration program. The program cost approximately $150,000,000; the cost per unit was calculated to be $30,000 based on a production of 12,000 units before cancellation.
After being launched from a
weapon platform
A weapons platform is generally any structure, vehicle or mechanism on which a weapon can be installed (via various mounting mechanisms) for optimal stability and performance. The mounted weapons, the platform and all other associated supporti ...
, it is guided by
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
/
INS INS or Ins or ''variant'', may refer to:
Places
* Ins, Switzerland, a municipality
* Creech Air Force Base (IATA airport code INS)
* Indonesia, ITF and UNDP code INS
Biology
*''Ins'', a New World genus of bee flies
* INS, the gene for the insulin ...
to the target general area, where it can
loiter
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a prolonged amount of time without any apparent purpose.
While the laws regarding loitering have been challenged and changed over time, loitering is still illegal in various j ...
. A
laser radar
Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...
(LIDAR or LADAR) illuminates the targets, determines their range, and matches their 3-D geometry with pre-loaded signatures. The LOCAAS system then selects the highest priority target and selects the
warhead's mode for the best effect.
It was part of the Small Bomb System (SBS) program. The LOCAAS has been cancelled.
Specifications
* Weight:
* Length:
* Speed:
* Search altitude:
* Footprint:
* Motor: thrust class
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, ...
.
* Range: >
* Loiter time: 30 min max.
* Guidance:
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
/
INS INS or Ins or ''variant'', may refer to:
Places
* Ins, Switzerland, a municipality
* Creech Air Force Base (IATA airport code INS)
* Indonesia, ITF and UNDP code INS
Biology
*''Ins'', a New World genus of bee flies
* INS, the gene for the insulin ...
with
LADAR
Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...
terminal seeker
* Warhead: 7.7 kg (17 lb) multi-mode
explosively formed projectile
An explosively formed penetrator (EFP), also known as an explosively formed projectile (EFP), a self-forging warhead, or a self-forging fragment, is the product of a shaped charge designed to penetrate armor effectively. As the name suggests, the ...
(
long rod penetrator, aerostable slug or
fragmentation
Fragmentation or fragmented may refer to:
Computers
* Fragmentation (computing), a phenomenon of computer storage
* File system fragmentation, the tendency of a file system to lay out the contents of files non-continuously
* Fragmented distributi ...
)
Lockheed Martin LOCAAS - Designation Systems
/ref>
See also
* Vertical Launch Autonomous Attack System (VLAAS)
* Surveilling Miniature Attack Cruise Missile
The Surveilling Miniature Attack Cruise Missile (SMACM) is a long range, high endurance, expendable, unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) under development by Lockheed Martin. It is equipped with a two-way datalink and is designed to reconnoitre a target ...
* GBU-53/B
The GBU-53/B StormBreaker, previously known as the Small Diameter Bomb II, is an American air-launched, precision-guided glide bomb.
Development was started in 2006 for a class bomb that can identify and strike mobile targets from standoff distan ...
Small Diameter Bomb II
References
External links
Low Cost Autonomous Attack System - Defense Update
LOCAAS-Deagel
Cruise missiles of the United States
Ammunition
{{missile-stub