A new air-delivered bunker-busting warhead has undergone a successful live-fire test by US Army Infantry Drone Operators at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
The demonstration, held on 26 March, featured the Bunker Rupture and Kinetic Explosive Round (BRAKER), which has been designed for deployment via uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).
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The project is a collaboration between the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center and Project Manager Close Combat Systems (PM CCS), operating within the US Army Capability Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics (CPE A&E).
According to the US Army statement, the live-fire demonstration of BRAKER took place just weeks after the initial design and rapid prototyping of the system.
Engineers at Armaments Center started works on the project early March with the goal to develop a warhead suited for delivery by lightweight and agile drones. They used additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, to design, produce, and integrate the new device for one-way attack drones.
Development included design, explosive pressing, housing manufacture, and several compatibility tests at Picatinny Arsenal, which led to the assembly of approximately a dozen warheads. The team tested one unit on a temporary bunker prior to the live demonstration.
PM CCS Colonel Vincent Morris said: “Our Picatinny team went from concept to live-fire in two weeks. BRAKER proves our ability to rapidly develop and safely deliver devastating effects from small unmanned aircraft systems.
“We are now creating the architecture with Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit and the small universal payload interface for industry to scale this critical warfighter advantage.”
The Picatinny CLIK, developed by DEVCOM Armaments Center engineers, enables the safe and effective pairing of lethal payloads with UAS platforms.
After effectiveness testing at Picatinny, engineers sent the prototype warheads to Redstone Arsenal, where US Army leaders observed a live-fire detonation from a drone on a target.
This demonstration highlights the potential for integrating new munitions with drone technology.
Munitions Engineering and Technology Center executive director Anthony Sebasto said: “Rapid demonstrations of overwhelming lethality such as BRAKER are attributed to years of continued technology investments and the organic core technical competencies and facilities resident at the DEVCOM Armaments Center.”
