Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, has announced it was awarded a prototype agreement from the U.S. Army for the Low Altitude Stalking & Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program. Under the prototype agreement, Textron Systems will deliver a Damocles loitering munition system and demonstrate it to the U.S. Army.
The Damocles loitering munition, equipped with Textron Systems’ advanced GEN2 Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), is a cutting-edge system designed to deliver decisive lethality in peer warfare environments. For the LASSO program, the Damocles system is integrated with a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to deliver top-attack capability. In the VTOL configuration, no launch or recovery equipment is required.
The Damocles system is built with a modular open systems approach (MOSA), allowing other payloads to be integrated to support various concepts of operation (CONOPS), such as electronic warfare effects. For operational safety, the system includes features to prevent unexploded ordnance (UXO), reducing the risk of hazardous remnants on the battlefield.
Henry Finneral, Senior Vice President of Weapon Systems at Textron Systems, stated that loitering munitions technology will be key in protecting warfighters on the battlefield by allowing them to send systems like Damocles beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) to engage targets from a safer standoff distance. He added that Textron Systems is proud to support this mission and leverage its industry-leading EFP technology to provide next-generation capability at speed and at scale.
