BAE Systems Australia has announced the design and development of a new sovereign munition concept – to be known as RAZERTM – positioning the company as a future supplier of low-cost precision guided munitions to Australian and potential export customers.
RAZER is a low-cost air-launched precision-guided munition that is designed to transform a 40-50kg standard non-guided munition into a precision air-launched weapon at low cost.
The RAZER system consists of a wing/body kit and tail unit equipped with a powered GPS/INS guidance control and navigation system, aimed at operations from Uncrewed Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) and Rotary Wing aircraft. This announcement follows the unveiling of the Strix Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) at Avalon 2023.
BAE Systems Australia Chief Executive Officer Ben Hudson said: “RAZER can meet urgent local and overseas demand for low cost sovereign munition solutions that could be deployed from the air. It could deliver a powerful and affordable battlefield strike capability for users globally.”
The ability to deploy RAZER from an airborne platform and glide to target would dramatically increase the weapon’s range and provide significant stand-off range for the launch platform.
Currently, there is significant gap between inexpensive, short-range, land-based weapons of this calibre and the expensive, long-range, air-launched weapon systems.
“RAZER addresses a clear gap in the market for sovereign guided weapons. It will enable our Australian Defence Force ease of access to world-class munitions right here in Australia,” Mr Hudson said.
BAE Systems Australia Managing Director, Defence Delivery Andrew Gresham said: “The company was working with the Commonwealth of Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise on a number of levels, with RAZER adding to the company’s existing sovereign capability. Design, development and production of these munitions will utilise our decades-long history of advanced manufacturing to establish and grow the country’s domestic capability and export market.”
BAE Systems’ Battlespace Integrated Solutions team has developed RAZER as payload for UCAVs and helicopters and is moving through a development process that will see the munition become a sovereign capability delivered by its local manufacturing operations.
Project scope encompasses development, acquisition and testing of software, hardware, mechanical sub-systems and other system elements aspects of this system over coming months to enable effective operation in air and maritime environments.
The market potential of the RAZER LCPGM is broad, spanning a multitude of users, including Australia, US, UK, Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway and others.
