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Cold War-era weapon is hot againViper Strike concept uses BAT on an unmanned aerial vehicleWednesday, June 23, 2004By SHELBY G. SPIRESTimes Aerospace Writer shelbys@htimes.comThe Army is giving new life to a Cold War-era Redstone Arsenal weapons program,and it may cut combat deaths in the process.The Army's $10 million Viper Strike program will use a 42-pound Brilliant Anti-Tank, or BAT, round mounted on an Army unmanned aerial vehicle to attack targets. The weapon was designed to attack Russian armored vehicles by detecting their sound waves, but the Viper Strike will be now used to attack tanks, vehicles and enemy positions."We've modified the BAT and basically taken the old system and put it on an" unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, said Army Lt. Col. John Oxford, Viper Strike product manager at Redstone. "We've given it a new purpose."A small UAV can fly to an area and orbit almost undetected, and because there isno pilot on board, there is no danger to American and allied troops.The Viper Strike round can be slung under a UAV wing and guide itself to a target. Because it is silent and glides to a target, the round is hard to detect.Viper Strike can destroy a tank without damaging nearby objects such as buildings. The explosive energy of the round goes into the ground, Oxford said, and it doesn't destroy surrounding areas."Because Viper Strike attacks from the top down, the explosion doesn't blow outat an angle. We've been able to attack targets at a simulated intersection without breaking the windows on the surrounding buildings. That will reduce (unintended) casualties."A soldier and commander can monitor the munition through a constant video feed from the BAT's nose cone.Being able to view the target while the BAT round is zooming down to the groundallows the operators to change their mind. "We can tell (the BAT round) to breakoff the attack up until pretty late in its flight," Oxford said. "It can be moved off to the side ?and the attack is aborted."The Pentagon has been concerned about unintended combat deaths for years. As bombs become more precise, enemy troops find it harder to use civilian areas for cover.Viper Strike can destroy a high-value target in a small area because the BAT explosive is small and the energy from traveling up to 200 mph at impact is powerful, Oxford said.The $100,000 BAT round was designed as part of the Redstone-managed Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS. The ATACMS weapon packs 13 of the precision-guidedrounds into the nose of one missile. These are dispensed in flight and glide toa target on the ground by using sound waves to guide the BAT.
 
"The warhead was designed to kill a Soviet T-72 tank. Because of that mission tokill a piece of heavy enemy armor, it expended a lot of energy in a small location. That's why it is ideal for urban environments," Oxford said.Oxford's office modified the 1990s BAT design, and it now uses a variety of sensors, including laser guidance, instead of sound.Oxford said just about any Army laser can guide the BAT, including handheld units used by Special Forces troops and those on Army Apache helicopters.More than 1,200 BAT rounds were made from 1999-2003 on Redstone by Northrop Grumman. Now the plant is dormant, and the Viper Strike program could be a way to restart the BAT production line, said John Miller, Northrop Grumman's director ofthe Viper Strike and BAT program here."Today the Viper Strike program is in the development of preproduction stages,"Miller said. "If approved, then in 12 to 18 months, this could be in production."If a program is approved, Northrop Grumman could build about 300 to 400 of the munitions a year, Miller said. "It would be very similar to the BAT quantities."About 80 people would work on the production line, Miller said.Oxford's office has been flight-testing the munition on an Army UAV at the WhiteSands Missile Range in New Mexico. So far, the Viper Strike has been successful, with nine engagements for nine tests.The Air Force has been interested in mounting Viper Strike rounds on the AC-130Spectre gunship and Predator UAV. "We are working with them, and there's interest from the Coast Guard, but right now my focus is on the Army and the troops inIraq," Oxford said.Oxford plans to test a few Viper Strike rounds in Iraq sometime in the next fewmonths.Those tests will help the Army decide whether to put the Viper Strike program into full production and incorporate improvements to its guidance system.Viper Strike - Laser Guided Weapon for UAVsViper Strike uses a semi-active laser seeker to find its designated target. Theweapon was developed as a derivative of the autonomous Brilliant Attack Munitions (BAT) Submunitions during a quick reaction, nine-week program at Northrop Grumman's Land Combat Systems facility at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.The weapon is intended for operations that require top-down attack, particularlyin built-up areas where strict rules of engagement are in force. It requires a"man in the loop" to lase the target, either from the ground in sight of the target or from the Hunter's ground station, which ensures the greatest possible accuracy and minimizes the chances of collateral damage.The Viper Strike's warhead is smaller than the hellfire's, which is used with the US Air Force armed Predator UAVs, containing only four pounds of Anti-Tank High Explosive (HEAT) charge, for reduced collateral damage in an urban built-up area. It also has a self-destruct mechanism, to eliminate post-strike hazards. The
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