Scaling Up Wide-Area-Search-Munition Teams

Wide area search munitions (WASMs) are a cross between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a munition. The first of these high-concept munitions, the low-cost autonomous attack system, was a miniature, autonomous WASM capable of broad-area search, identification, and destruction of a range of mobile ground targets. The LoCAAS used a small turbojet engine capable of powering the vehicle for up to 30 minutes and laser radar (ladar) with automatic target recognition to identify potential targets. The original LoCAAS was a fire-and-forget munition designed to operate independently. It flew preprogrammed search patterns until it located a target or ran out of fuel.