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.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.