The Air Force Res
earch Lab’s munitions directorate at Eglin AFB, Fla., announced earlier this month that it has successfully tested the Voyeur, a compact, proof-of-concept rotary wing unmanned air vehicle designed for real-time bomb damage assessment missions, even in cluttered urban environments. Lite Machines Corporation of West Lafeyette, Ind., builds the Voyeur, which has a 27-inch-long body with 30-inch-wide rotors and can stay aloft for about one-half hour. It employs two counter-rotating coaxial rotors that provide lift and maneuverability, while eliminating the need for a tail rotor. The aircraft also features an active stability system that makes it more stable and more maneuverable than traditional rotary wing UAVs. The AFRL says Voyeur’s attributes allow its electro-optical and infrared sensors to provide unquestionable confirmation of target destruction moments after a weapon’s impact. (Includes Eglin report by Rex Swenson)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.