Northrop Grumman unveiled a turbojet-powered precision strike missile last week.
The multi-purpose Jackal missile can accommodate both lethal and nonlethal payloads for a range of functions such as electronic warfare and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance).
It combines range, speed, endurance, precision, and payload capability, enabling extended duration ISR missions to gather critical information before launching a lethal strike.
The Jackal’s concept and scaled model was first displayed at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference exhibition in Tampa, Florida, in May 2022.
It was then described as a one-way strike drone that can be launched from both land and air platforms.
Missile Features
According to Northrop, the munition has a speed of 600 kilometers (373 miles) per hour and a loitering time of 15 minutes.
It features autonomous waypoint navigation, automated target detection and recognition, and can operate in a GPS-denied environment.
Northrop developed the missile in collaboration with American defense firm Aerovironment, developer of the Switchblade series of loitering munitions.
Draws From Switchblade Strike Drones
While the Switchblade 300 is a short-range precision strike weapon, the Switchblade 600 is primarily for anti-armor functions.
The Jackal attempts to address evolving threats falling beyond the purview of both the previous weapons.
It has a greater payload capacity of 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) and a higher range of 100 kilometers (62 miles), compared to 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) and 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the Switchblade 300 and 600, respectively.
