Lockheed Martin displayed a model of its new Nemesis weapon at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium last week in Orlando, Fla. Company officials were not immediately ready to discuss the weapon, but industry sources knowledgeable of Nemesis said it is a micro remotely piloted aircraft that is launchable from a tube that fits on a Hellfire missile launching station, meaning it’s intended for attack helicopters or larger RPAs like MQ-9 Reapers. The Nemesis would be able to perform a close-up inspection of a target and is capable of detonation, making it a hybrid RPA/munition, they said. Company officials promised details soon. Lockheed Martin also displayed its new Cuda missile, a multi-application hittile suitable for air-to-air or air-to-ground targets. Lockheed Martin officials said the Cuda is competitive in performance with the AMRAAM in the air-to-air mode; but because of Cuda’s 70-inch length, 12 of them could fit inside the weapons bays of the F-22 and F-35, doubling and tripling, respectively, the airplanes’ internal air-to-air loadout. Cuda is designed to achieve high maneuverability at heavy G loads, according to the company.
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held meetings with defense leaders from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific this week.