Orbital ATK considers naval applications of HATCHET precision guided weapon

At Surface Navy 2018, MONS attended a briefing from Orbital ATK to glean updates on its latest technological developments in a field it is just beginning to explore: naval weapons. Amongst these, Jarrod Krull, Communications Manager at Orbital ATK, presented HATCHET, a miniature precision strike weapon.

“HATCHET is a 6lbs weapon that has reached 10m of precision,” says Krull. It is designed for employment from aircraft ranging from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to rotary wing as well as fixed wing fighters and bomber aircraft. More specifically, for the US Navy’s (USN) unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8C FIRE SCOUT would be the ideal platform for the Hatchet as it can deploy from ground and sea platforms and has a long range.

“We are on a development path to reach TRL 7 and we are scheduled to carry out live guide hit tests before the end of 2018,” continues Krull.

In addition to US Army and Marine Corps, the HATCHET is also being tested by the Canadian and Australian Armed Forces.

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