Aerovironment’s Vapor 55 MX UAS completes first successful live fire GPS-guided Shryke munitions.

AeroVironment announced on January 9 the first successful multi-drop, live fire GPS-guided Shryke munitions from its Vapor 55 MX all-electric unmanned aircraft system, in collaboration with Corvid and L3Harris Technologies. The Vapor 55 MX carried four rounds simultaneously and flawlessly showcased the live fire effects of this capability.
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The Vapor 55 MX carried four rounds simultaneously and flawlessly showcased the live fire effects of this capability (Picture source: AeroVironment)

The integration of Shryke munitions on the Vapor 55 MX allows for multiple targets to be designated in one single flight. “Shryke’s size and weight make it the ideal choice for the weaponized Vapor 55 MX. The lethality of a 40mm anti-armor modular warhead paired with a lightweight glider provides a highly effective, low-collateral damage solution to the front lines,” said Kyle Bowen, Corvid’s Shryke business development director.

Shryke, developed by Corvid Technologies and L3Harris Technologies, is known for its versatile, multi-mission precision strike capability, meeting the requirement to stay within 1-2 meters of the designated target. Equipped with a MIL-STD-1316 Electronic Safe and Arm Device (ESAD), L3Harris’ integrator guarantees safety-critical initiation-on-command for energetic systems and facilitates the secure post-flight recovery of remaining installed munitions. “Collaborating with our partners to develop the multi-drop Shryke payload to integrate seamlessly with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) design of the Vapor 55 MX gives us a real market advantage. Quick integration for the warfighter continues to be our top priority,” said Jason Wright, AeroVironment’s senior product line manager.

The open software and hardware architecture provides added versatility to the Vapor 55 MX and continues to allow customers to integrate third-party payloads of their choice without being impacted by excessive non-recurring engineering costs and schedule delays.

Defense News January 2024