Hornet Air Guard at AUSA

At AUSA 2022, AM General and Hornet unveil a new HUMVEE Saber concept vehicle in a full drone warfare configuration: the HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION, specifically designed for drone warfare.

Recent conflicts have demonstrated the increasing importance of drones and loitering munition, whether as offensive vectors or as reconnaissance systems.?To offer a highly capable, highly mobile platform to carry these drones safely and efficiently on the battlefield, AM General, in collaboration with Hornet and Aerovironment, has developed the HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION, presented for the first time at AUSA 2022. This new HUMVEE SABER version features AeroVironment’s Switchblade? loitering missiles, and a Hornet Air Guard Remote Controlled Weapon System with Counter-UAS solution by Hornet.

The loitering munitions on the HUMVEE Saber Blade Edition include the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 that provide rapidly deployable, loitering precision strike missiles for use against non-line-of-sight targets. Switchblade 300 is small and has a quiet motor, making it difficult to detect, recognize, and track even at very close range. Switchblade 600 missiles are also integrated on the truck. The Switchblade 600 represents the next generation of extended-range loitering missiles and features high precision optics and over 40 minutes of endurance.?Switchblade 600 provides unprecedented RSTA (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition) and precision strike capabilities against larger, hardened targets via an anti-armor warhead.

The HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION was designed to operate close to front line battlefields and launch its drones to engage enemy high-value targets such as HQ, tanks and artillery. Modern battlespaces can also be very easily filled by a large variety of small, short-range drones, both armed and non-armed, some of which originate from the civilian market. Combat areas will thus be more and more subjected to threats of detection, acquisition and/or engagement by smaller drones at very short distances.

To answer that emerging problem, the HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION is equipped with a Hornet RCWS by Hornet in an Air Guard configuration, which ensures short-range detection and neutralization of hostile drones around the vehicle.

The Hornet Air Guard is a secondary anti-drone capability, first presented in 2022, which complements the Hornet RCWS and its native functions: surveillance, fire, and self-protection thanks to an independent smoke grenade launcher ring. The Hornet Air Guard adds a Gonio RF (Hydra from Cerbair) and a radar which are fitted on the Hornet’s independent smoke grenade launcher ring. Both systems constantly scan the area while the RCWS can still be used normally for observation or combat missions.

Upon detection of a hostile drone, the operator is automatically warned of the threat and can validate an RCWS rally with identification via optronics. The drone can then be neutralized with the automatic 40mm grenade launcher and an air-burst grenade. Such a feature can also engage and destroy an armed or suicide drone attacking the HUMVEE SABER before it can get too close.

Most importantly, the detection of enemy drone presence in the vicinity warns the crew of a possible detection and allows for a swift extraction of the HUMVEE SABER from the danger zone thanks to its superior mobility. Such an information is vital in current-day operations, with highly efficient counter-battery procedures, where drones have critically reduced decision time as well as inter-arms communication and coordination.

In addition to its anti-drone function, the Hornet Air Guard’s radar can also contribute to the surveillance and intelligence gathering in the zone of operations.

The detection of hostile drones is done independently and automatically. Thus, there is no need for the operator to be an anti-drone trained specialist.?The system retains the independent GALIX smoke grenade launcher of the Hornet RCWS, effectively protecting the vehicle during combat operations. The Battlenet system by Arquus coordinates all these functions together.?

With its Switchblade loitering missiles and the Hornet Air Guard from Hornet, the HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION brings highly efficient surveillance and aggression capabilities on the battlefield, on and beyond the front lines, while ensuring its own self-protection against close-range air threats in full autonomy. With the HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION, AM General and Hornet present a versatile, coherent solution, adapted to modern warfare, bringing unprecedented tactical and strategic effect with a very light footprint and reduced team.

The integration of the Hornet Air Guard on AM General’s HUMVEE SABER BLADE EDITION shows once again the industry’s full confidence in Hornet, now a very well-established name in a very fast-moving industry, and the cutting-edge innovation and performance it brings together.

About Hornet

The Hornet range of Remote-Controlled Weapon Stations (RCWS) has been selected by the French Army to equip its new generation of combat vehicles. Hornet notably provides with the main armament for the Griffon and the Serval and the secondary armament for the Jaguar. This order makes Hornet a major supplier of RCWS.

Building on the experience of the RCWS developed for the French Army in the framework of the Scorpion programme, Hornet offers high-end remotely operated weapons systems with the most advanced technologies and capabilities. The current offering includes the Hornet, the flagship product of the new range, and the Hornet Lite, a lighter version with the same optronic systems. These RCWS fully enhance the capabilities of the vehicles equipped with them, taking them to fully new operational levels. All Hornet RCWS users benefit from the feedback and upgrades to the range.

The remote-controlled weapon stations of the Hornet range are very versatile products, combining an effector and latest generation sensors. This makes them the tool of choice for observation, reconnaissance and intelligence, but also for information sharing, blue/red force tracking, designation of enemy targets and indirect fire guidance. In the configuration presented at Eurosatory, the Hornet turret offers unique performance in a very limited space, with a very limited weight.

The Hornet turrets are incomparably more accurate than a circular-mounted weapon, particularly in movement. They are gyro-stabilised from the optronic unit, which gives them exceptional stability and accuracy. The probability of hitting on the first shot is enhanced by a sophisticated ballistic solution calculation system that takes into account various parameters such as weapon, ammunition type, range, target movement and vehicle behaviour. These different capabilities allow for the reduction of ammunition carriage where necessary, while still allowing for superior tactical effects.

?The Hornet RCWS are highly versatile and suitable for IFVs, APCs and UGVs. They can also contribute to anti-tank and anti-drone systems, as well as self-protection or collaborative protection solutions.?