American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters just announced details of its upcoming MD 969 Twin Attack Helicopter at a military trade show in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the rear of the fuselage of the helicopter a munitions guiding system pops out to deploy seven payloads ranging from powered missiles to small drones that could carry out their own missions independently from the copter
A possible existing drone that could be launched from the helicopter’s Common Launch Tube (CLT) is military contractor Raytheon’s Coyote. The Coyote is a small drone that has been used in the past to gather vital information about hurricanes — especially in places where hurricane wind speeds are too high for crewed aircraft to fly.
In a military context, small drones launched through the tube could increase awareness of ground and air-based operations when line of sight is obscured.
The CLT is part of a flexible, roll-on/roll-off launch system that is easily integrated into existing platforms.
