JACKAL drone launches Thales missile in RAF trial

News

A UK-developed drone system has fired a Thales missile as part of a trial sponsored by the Royal Air Force, in what is claimed to be a ‘significant milestone’ for unmanned air combat.

The JACKAL drone platform is the work of Flyby Technology, a UK startup founded by former RAF and Royal Navy fighter pilot Jon Parker. An engineering team from Flyby and Thales worked together on a rapid six-week turnaround to build two JACKAL drones capable of firing the Thales Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM). In a video published by Thales, the VTOL aircraft can be seen taking off vertically while tethered to the ground, before cutting to the drone launching an LLM at a test target a few metres away.

According to Flyby, JACKAL can replicate the capabilities of attack helicopters and fighter jets at a fraction of the cost and with minimum risk. As a VTOL aircraft, it can also operate from locations such as woods and built-up urban areas, negating the need for vulnerable runways.

“The days of having a fighter pilot in the cockpit are numbered and I realise I will not perhaps be loved for bringing about the end of my own kind,” said Jon Parker, Flyby Technology founder and CEO. 

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