Lockheed Martin Tests Low-Collateral Damage Weapon

: Lockheed Martin announced Monday that its Scorpion air-launched munition was successfully flight tested June 17 from a C-130 aircraft at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. After ejection from a launch tube on the aircraft, the small, lightweight, unpowered weapon successfully deployed its fins and wing and precisely glided 1.65 nautical miles to the target area using its Global Positioning System/inertial navigation system. The weapon then used its semi-active laser seeker to strike the target. Scorpion is a cost-effective option for destroying time-critical fixed or moving ground targets “in areas requiring low collateral damage, such as urban environments,” said Randy Bigum, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of strike weapons. The munition is adaptable to multiple launch platforms, including unmanned aircraft, and can be fitted with different types of seekers and warheads, says the company.