Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that the U.S. defense giant successfully launched a Hellfire missile from its new Grizzly launcher — housed within a 10-foot cargo container.
The Grizzly system incorporates design elements of Lockheed’s M299 missile launchers, which can be configured three ways and can be used to shoot both the Hellfire and Joint Air-to-Ground Missile. Hellfire missiles can track targets autonomously and are used by the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and international partners over 15 platforms across air, land and sea domains.
“Our first live fire tests come just six months after the program began research and development, through internal Lockheed Martin investment, demonstrating our focus on quickly delivering a mobile and versatile launcher capability to defeat evolving threats,” Randy Crites, vice president of Lockheed Martin Advanced Programs, said in a statement.
Built out of low-cost commercially available materials, the containerized launcher can be easily lifted and transported by a wide variety of commercial freight and transport equipment, including trucks, aircraft and ships.
The development comes as the Navy is seeking the development of containerized payloads, which can potentially be placed on unmanned surface vessels to increase firepower and flexibility at sea.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
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