Razer Guided Munitions Conversion Kit Also Launched

BAE Systems Australia launched a unique new drone design at the Avalon Air Show in Melbourne. Classed as an autonomous tactical UAS, STRIX has been designed to meet emerging and future Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) drone requirements.

Kisa Christensen, Director of Red Oche Autonomy and Sensors division at BAE Systems, told journalists at the launch event that STRIX has a tilt-body design, meaning it can perform vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) like a V-22 tiltrotor, but by tilting the entire body of the aircraft rather than just the engines. Once it reaches altitude, it tilts into a conventional fixed-wing configuration, to provide the speed and payload capacity the company believes will be needed for future drone operations. She added that the current payload of 200kg can be carried up to 500km, with the potential to trade off increased range for a lower payload. The UAS can travel up to 800km with two missiles for a mission duration of five hours, featuring a wide variety of payloads, from ISR sensors and targeting systems to EW or satcom systems.

Christensen said that the challenge was for local Australian industry to work with BAE to develop and build new capabilities around the STRIX platform. She added that BAE was partnered with Australian company Innovaero, which will build STRIX prototypes at its facility in Western Australia. Existing plans will see the first prototype flying on a nearby range by the end of this year.

Natalie Waldie, Programme Manager for Autonomy at BAE Systems, said the concept was first developed in July 2022 and that STRIX will be ready for sale by 2025-26. She added that the UAS is made of carbon composite materials and will be initially flight-tested using an electric propulsion system. A hybrid engine will be tested later, by 2025, with a standard gas turbine engine used for the conventional flight envelope.

STRIX can be collapsed to a footprint of 2.6×4.5m, enabling it to be transported in a standard 20ft ISO container, which could also host a ground control station to provide ‘man-in-the-loop’ control over operations. It can also be controlled by a helicopter.

Waldie added that STRIX was designed to be low cost as an attritible platform, and that the drone can carry two new Razers – a 40-50kg air-launched precision-guided munition that turns an unguided round into a guided munition with a 25km range. Razer was also launched by BAE Systems at Avalon, and is part of Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise.

She said that STRIX was developed using internal company funding that allowed a faster transition from concept to the prototyping build stage. The company stated that Razer “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.”

The name STRIX derives from an owl known for acute vision and to be menacing.

Tim Fish reporting from Avalon for MON