Weapon of the week best in show: Weapons and Warfare

{RYAN ROBERTSON}  

WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS I’M YOUR HOST RYAN ROBERTSON. WE HAVE A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR YOU THIS WEEK. WITH OUR FIRST 27 EPISODES IN THE BOOKS, WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD TIME TO TAKE A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE WEAPON OF THE WEEK FEATURES. AND BY WE, I MEAN THE REST OF THE WEAPONS AND WARFARE TEAM. SO LET’S MAKE SOME INTRODUCTIONS AND GET TO IT. WE’LL START WITH SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER AS I ALWAYS IN THE SHOW. BRETT BAKER IS THE PRODUCER ON THE SHOW. BRIAN SPENCER IS OUR VIDEO EDITOR, AND DAKOTA PITIO IS OUR GRAPHICS DESIGNER ON THE SHOW. DO YOU GUYS WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELVES GONNA, YOU KNOW, GIVE THE AUDIENCE A QUICK 411 OF YOUR LIVES, BUT YOU KNOW, KEEP IT BROADCAST TIGHT.

{BRETT BAKER} 

YOU KNOW, NO, I MEAN, I THINK PROBABLY THE THREE OF US ARE BACKGROUND GUYS BECAUSE WE LIKE BEING BACKGROUND GUYS AND PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER. ALL THAT, BUT UM, YEAH, I JUST THINK THIS IS GONNA BE A FUN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CHOP IT UP A LITTLE BIT AND MAYBE HOPEFULLY FOR OUR VIEWERS TO GET TO KNOW THE FULL TEAM A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

{RYAN ROBERTSON} 

ALRIGHT. BRIAN?

{BRIAN SPENCER} 

YEAH, BRIAN SPENCER, VIDEO EDITOR AND ABOUT 25 YEARS IN BROADCASTING, AND I GET A REAL KICK OUT OF BEING PART OF THIS SHOW BECAUSE WE GET TO DECIPHER MILITARIA AND THE WORLD OF POLITICAL, GEOPOLITICAL STUFF FOR THE VIEWERS AT HOME.

{RYAN ROBERTSON} 

AND DAKOTA. YEP. AND WHO ALWAYS MAKES OUR SHOWS LOOK BETTER THAN THEY SHOULD.

{DAKOTA PITEO} 

YEP, I TRY AND ANIMATE THINGS. THE BEST OF MY ABILITY EVERY WEEK, BUT I’M SUPER INTO THE TECH BEHIND SOME OF THIS STUFF AND EXCITED TO SEE SOME OF THE STUFF WE COVER.

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{RYAN CAM} 

ALRIGHT, DAKOTA, WE ARE GOING TO START WITH YOUR PICK FOR THIS WEEK. THIS WEEK SHOW YOU’RE GOING WITH THE AFRL IS PALADIN. WHAT? WHY? WHY THIS VEHICLE AND WHY THIS WEAPON OF CHOICE FOR YOU?

{DAKOTA CAM} 

YEAH, I THINK IT’S A CRAZY PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY. AND I THINK DRONES ARE SO LIKE BECOMING THE FOREFRONT OF BOTH THE MILITARY LIKE THINK UKRAINE, BUT ALSO OUR PERSONAL LIVES LIKE DELAYS IN SPORTS GAMES ARE NOW BECOMING MORE AND MORE SO. YOU KNOW, WHO DOESN’T LOVE A SHOTGUN ATTACHED TO A DRONE THAT TAKES OUT OTHER DRONES?

{RYAN CAM} 

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME, LET’S GET TO IT. THIS STORY ORIGINALLY AIRED ON MARCH 13th.

{RYAN UNDER VO/GFX}

MEET THE PALADIN MULTI-MISSION UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM, ESSENTIALLY A DRONE INTERCEPTOR.

WHILE THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF DRONES, WITH ALL KINDS OF MISSIONS, THE PALADIN IS STILL PRETTY UNIQUE. IT’S LIKE DALTON FROM THE 80s CLASSIC ‘ROAD HOUSE, EXCEPT THE PALADIN IS THE BOUNCER OF DRONES. 

[ROAD HOUSE}

“I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THIS HEX-ROTOR WATCHDOG IS WHAT THE AIR FORCE WANTS TO MAKE SURE THEIR MANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS DON’T RUN INTO ANY UNEXPECTED BOGEYS. ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WITH LARGE POPULATIONS LIVING AROUND THE BASE. THINK NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE IN LAS VEGAS—OR LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE IN VIRGINIA. 

[Brendon Poland, Counter UAS Technical Dir., AFRL}

“We’re not going after anything big. And generally, everything’s either commercial or it’s how assembled by hobbyists, you know, operating, you know, in the national airspace.…”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

DESCRIBED AS A FULLY AUTONOMOUS WINGMAN, THE PALADIN COMES EQUIPPED WITH A U-A-S DETECTOR AND A LOUDSPEAKER FOR INCIDENTS WHERE A VERBAL WARNING WILL WORK. BUT IT ALSO PACKS A PUNCH IF NEEDED. ARMED WITH A BENELLI M-4 SHOTGUN, THE OPERATOR HAS A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE OVER STUBBORN INTRUDERS. 

[Brendon Poland, Counter UAS Technical Dir., AFRL}

“It’s a net round, that’s very safe. And so employed in the air, it only has an effective range of about 20 meters. [[BUTTED SOTS AT 4:28]] “the system isn’t just going to go out and shoot down a drone and it falls wherever the system will go out, follow an aircraft identify what it is, we’ll try to mitigate it in other ways. Get over an area where there’s no people below it. And then if we have to engage we can engage in those safe areas where if it drops to the ground, it’s not going to hurt anybody.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AS FOR WHEN THE PALADIN WILL BE PUT TO WORK ON AIR FORCE BASES AROUND  THE U.S., A-F-R-L SAYS IT’S IN LATE-STAGE DEVELOPMENT AND WILL BE GOING THROUGH AN OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENT DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025. AFTER THAT, PLANS FOR DELIVERY AND IMPLEMENTATION WILL BE MADE.

ALRIGHT, DAKOTA, THAT WAS THE AFRL PALADIN YOUR PICK FOR THE WEAPON OF THE WEEK? YOU KNOW, IT’S ONE OF THOSE WEAPONS, IT’S IN DEVELOPMENT. IT’S NOT QUITE OUT THERE YET. BUT YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU SAID AT THE BEGINNING, WHO DOESN’T LOVE A DRONE WITH A SHOTGUN THAT SHOOTS NETS? RIGHT?

{DAKOTA CAM} 

EXACTLY.

---

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ALL RIGHT, LET’S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ALONG FOLKS TO THE NEXT PICK FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK. IT’S THE MQ 25. STINGRAY. THIS IS KIND OF A YOU KNOW, A GROUP FAVORITE HERE AT THE SHOW. BRIAN, THIS WAS YOUR PICK THIS MQ 25. WHY? WHAT STOOD OUT ABOUT THE STINGRAY TO YOU? WHY WAS THIS YOUR FAVORITE WEAPON OF THE WEEK SO FAR?

[BRIAN SPENCER]

WELL, AS FAR AS DRONE WARFARE GOES, IT’S PRETTY EASY TO STRAP A MISSILE TO IT AND CALL IT A DAY. SO THIS ONE KIND OF SHOWS SOME INGENUITY TRYING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM THEY HAVE AT THE EDGE OF EDGE OF THE EDGE OF THE WAR SPACE, AND IT’S A TOOL. SO IT’S PURPOSE-BUILT TO BE A TOOL FOR RECONNAISSANCE AND TO DELIVER AN ACTUAL TANGIBLE THING TO FIGHTER JETS TO EXTEND THEIR RANGE. SO  I REALLY THINK THAT’S, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT’S REALLY COOL THAT THEY’RE THINKING OUTSIDE OF DESTRUCTION FOR THE DRONES. AND AND IT’S DESIGNED AND BUILT IN MY HOMETOWN, SO GOTTA LOVE THAT PART OF IT. BUT YEAH, I JUST LIKE THE IDEA THAT NOT ALL DRONES HAVE TO BE KILLED, DRONES CAN BE TOOLS, WHETHER IT’S A ROUND DRONE THAT CARRIES INJURED SOLDIERS THE OUT OF THE WAR ZONE OR THAT STINGRAY THAT CAN REFUEL A FIGHTER ON THE GO.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

YOU BET. YOU BET. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, LET’S GO IN AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE MQ 25 STINGRAY.

MEET THE MQ-25 STINGRAY. IT’S SLEEK, IT CAN CARRY A LOT OF GAS, AND IT’S UNMANNED. THIS IS WHAT THE NAVY HOPES WILL HELP CARRIER AIR WINGS AND CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS MAXIMIZE THEIR AIR POWER.

BUILT BY BOEING, THE MQ-25 IS THE RESULT OF YEARS OF ENGINEERING AND TESTING. THE PROJECT WAS ANNOUNCED IN APRIL OF 2018. BOEING RELEASED A VIDEO AT THE TIME . AS YOU CAN TELL, WHAT WAS IMAGINED, AND WHAT WAS EVENTUALLY BUILT, ARE TWO FAIRLY SIMILAR-LOOKING AIRCRAFT. LESS THAN FOUR YEARS LATER, THE REAL VERSION OF THE STINGRAY HEADED TO SEA FOR IT’S FIRST TEST ABOARD AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER.

[Matthew Savage, Boeing UCAD Test Team Lead}

“We’re calling this the unmanned carrier aviation demonstration. To look at how the MQ operates on the flight-deck both from propulsion testing and our human factors evaluation. This is a historic moment for the Navy, and for the Boeing Company, because this is the first evaluation of this vehicle’s ability to operate with the fleet. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THOSE TESTS MUST HAVE GONE REASONABLY WELL BECAUSE IN FEBRUARY BOEING HANDED OVER THE FIRST STINGRAY TO THE NAVY FOR EVALUATION. 

MORE THAN JUST BEING A FLYING GAS STATION FOR THE NAVY’S F-18S AND F-35S, THE MQ-25 IS ALSO EXPECTED TO PLAY A ROLE IN GATHERING INTELLIGENCE, AS WELL AS CONDUCTING SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS.  

FOR THE RIGHT TO BUILD THE STINGRAY BOEING BEAT OUT GENERAL ATOMICS AND LOCKHEED MARTIN FOR AN $805 MILLION CONTRACT.

PROVIDING ALL GOES WELL THE NAVY’S DEAL INCLUDES FOUR MORE STINGRAYS FOR THE FLEET WITH PLANS TO EQUIP ALL NIMITZ-CLASS AND GERALD R. FORD-CLASS CARRIERS WITH THE ABILITY TO OPERATE MQ-25s.

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[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS THE MQ 25 STINGRAY FROM BOEING BUILT IN YOUR HOMETOWN BRIAN. WE’RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO GET A TOUR LINED UP SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE FACILITY WHERE IT’S BEING MADE. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE EXCITING ENOUGH THAT THE DOG BEHIND YOU WILL, YOU KNOW, WAKE UP AND BE PAINED BY THIS STORY. BUT YOU KNOW, BRIAN, ONCE AGAIN, THANKS FOR FOR YOUR INPUT AND ALSO FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO PUTTING THIS STUFF TOGETHER. YEAH, WE’LL GO AHEAD AND KEEP IT MOVING RIGHT ALONG HERE TO BRETT BAKER.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SUPER PRODUCER BRETT BRETT WHEN WE SAW YOUR PICK FOR THE WEAPON OF THE WEEK. WEEK, WE WERE SOFT WEEK IN TAMPA. I WAS MID HAD LOST MY VOICE. I KNEW THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS YOU KNOW, SUPER AWESOME. AND I WAS LIKE, WE’VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO THIS. YOUR PICK FOR WEAPON OF THE WEEK IS THE BOUNCE IMAGING BALL. TELL US TELL US WHY YOU PICKED THAT.

[BRETT BAKER]

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY INTERESTING WAS IT WAS A SIMPLE, SEMI SIMPLE SOLUTION TO A BIG PROBLEM PUTTING EYES ON A PLACE THAT GUYS MAY NOT EASILY BE ABLE TO DO THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS COOL THINGS WAS THEY HAD THE IDEA FOR IT. AND IT TOOK THEM FOUR YEARS BEFORE THEY COULD ACTUALLY MAKE THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE IDEA WORK TOGETHER. BUT I LOVE THAT IT’S NOT JUST A CAMERA. IT’S PROGRAMMED SO THAT IT CAN TALK TO PEOPLE AND MULTIPLE DIFFERENT VOICES, IT CAN COMMUNICATE, IN ADDITION TO GIVING GUYS EYES ON THE SCENE WHERE THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET EYES. OTHERWISE, I JUST THINK IT’S LIKE A ELEGANT SOLUTION TO A REAL PROBLEM.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AT FIRST GLANCE YOU’D BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING THIS BALL WAS JUST ANOTHER TOY FROM A TOYBOX, BUT YOU’D BE MISTAKEN. BECAUSE THIS BALL CONTAINS SOME VERY SERIOUS TECH. 

[Francisco Aguilar, CEO, Bounce Imaging}

“These are 360 degree throwable cameras that are used in law enforcement, search and rescue, and in the context this week, and special operations, and it’s something that you can throw into an environment and get an instant 360 degree view of what’s going on too many people, so that you can have a better view of what’s going on in that space”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

LIKE ALL GREAT IDEAS, A 360º THROWABLE CAMERA, PACKED INTO A BALL, TOOK SOME TIME TO BECOME A REALITY. BOUNCE IMAGING STARTED IN 2012, BUT THE TECHNOLOGY NEEDED TO COMPLETE THEIR VISION NEEDED SOME TIME TO CATCH UP. BUT WHEN IT DID IN 2016, IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR POTENTIAL USERS TO SEE WHAT WAS POSSIBLE. 

[Mark Fargason, COO, Bounce Imaging}

“What folks love about this is that you can you can you take it out, turn it on, deploy it, view it on your video feed, understand it very quickly, with a very low cognitive load. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TO PUT IT IN EVEN SIMPLER TERMS, THERE’S NOT A LOT TO THINK ABOUT WHEN USING IT. THAT’S WHY THIS HARD RUBBER BALL, EQUIPPED WITH SIX CAMERAS, AND TWO-WAY AUDIO, THAT’S RIGHT YOU CAN TALK TO PEOPLE THROUGH THE BALL, HAS BECOME AN INVALUABLE TOOL FOR POLICE, RESCUE, AND SPECIAL FORCES OPERATORS. IN FACT BOUNCE IMAGINGS CEO, FRANCISCO AGUILAR, SAYS THEIR USERS, ARE THEIR BEST INNOVATORS.  

[Francisco Aguilar, CEO, Bounce Imaging}

“People have come up with really clever ways to use this to look over walls down tunnels, inside attic spaces around corners, in ways that they wouldn’t have been able to do it with a much lower demand on their thinking than with other tools.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ANOTHER COOL FEATURE, IT DOESN’T REQUIRE ANY OTHER EQUIPMENT, THAT’S BECAUSE USERS CAN VIEW IMAGES FROM THE BALL, RIGHT ON THEIR SMARTPHONE. JUST DOWNLOAD THE ‘BOUNCE VIEWER’, AND GO. 

[Mark Fargason, COO, Bounce Imaging}

“So we know it’s making a difference, which we’re super proud of. And, you know, we hope to get it out to more folks in the future.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ONE LAST THING, THIS VERY RUGGED CAMERA, IS ALSO MULTI-LINGUAL. MARK FARGASON TOLD US THE BALL IS PRELOADED WITH VERY SIMPLE COMMANDS, IN 20 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. MEANING USERS NOT ONLY HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE, BUT THEY’RE BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS AS WELL.

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[RYAN ROBERTSON]

BRETT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOVED ABOUT THAT THING, THE BOUNCE IMAGING BALL IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE MAKE MENTION OF IT IN THE STORY. BUT JUST TO MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR FOR THE AUDIENCE, WHEN YOU THROW THE BALL, THERE’S ALL THESE DIFFERENT CAMERAS, AND THE BALL IS ROLLING THROUGH THE THROUGH THE ROOM, BUT THE SOFTWARE ON IT WILL ORIENTATE THE VIDEO TO TO BE STABLE, ESSENTIALLY, ONE CONSTANT SHOT. YEAH, ONE CONSTANT SHOT, WHICH I JUST THINK LIKE, YOU ALLUDED TO IT, IT TOOK FOUR YEARS TO GO FROM IDEA TO REALITY. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, WAY TO STICK TO IT, RIGHT.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AND THAT BRINGS US TO MY CHOICE. 

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

AND SPEAKING OF OUT OF THE BOX THINKING AND THAT KIND OF GOES TO MY MY PICK FOR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, AND WE HAD A FEW, A FEW NON WEAPONS. WELL, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF YOUR GUYS’S WERE WERE NON WEAPONS, I’M GOING TO BREAK THAT TREND, BECAUSE I LIKE STUFF THAT BLOWS UP. MINE IS THE AFRL IS A MUTANT MISSILE. AND REALLY, IT’S WHAT IT IS. AND WE’LL PLAY THE STORY BUT THE FRONT END OF THE MISSILE LIKE MOVES SO IT CAN TRACK ITS TARGET, WHICH IN THIS ERA OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION WHERE WE KNOW AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS ARE GOING TO BE HUGE, EVEN IF WE’RE TAKING ON LIKE THE HOUTHI REBELS, RIGHT, WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY GREAT POWER. BUT THEY HAVE THEY HAVE THESE SYSTEMS WHICH ARE PRESENTING A THREAT TO US AND OUR SYSTEMS. SO WE NEED A WAY TO TO COUNTERACT THOSE THINGS. AND THE MUTANT MISSILE IN MY MIND, IT’S IT’S STILL BEING DEVELOPED. BUT IT’S GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT ONCE IT’S IN YOU KNOW, IT’S PROBABLY GOING TO BE FIELDED SOONER THAN LATER. ONCE IT’S OUT THERE. IN BRETT YOU AND I WE USE THE TERM GAME CHANGER TOO MUCH. BUT I REALLY THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE GAME CHANGING TYPE SYSTEMS. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET’S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE MUTANT MISSILE 

MEET THE MUTANT. ON THE SURFACE IT LOOKS, LIKE MOST ANY OTHER MISSISLE. BUT LIKE IT’S NAME SUGGESTS, THERE’S SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT WORK HERE. THAT WOULD BE THE ARTICULATION CONTROL ACTUATION SYSTEM. TO PUT IT IN LAYMAN’S TERMS, THE HEAD AND FINS OF THE MISSILE CAN MOVE TO MEET THE TARGET. THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS APPLICATION CAME FROM ANOTHER PREDATOR. 

[Dr. Ben Dickinson, Research Engineer, Air Force Research Labratory}

They noticed a really interesting thing when these Falcons would intercept their prey. As the head moved, the tail would move. And there seemed to be a cause-and-effect relationship between head movement and tell them apart from that, there’s a target tracking the target detection function of the head. And so this got us thinking because Falcons have the same objectives as missiles and interceptors, get the target and capture.”

{RYAN CONT VO}

PROPERLY INSPIRED, THE A-F-R-L ENGINEERS SET ABOUT TURNING AN IDEA INTO A REALITY. THE MISSILE ON DISPLAY AT THE RECENT AIR WARFARE SYMPOSIUM IS THE END RESULT OF YEARS OF WORK. THE MUTANT, WHICH IS AN ACRONYM FOR MISSILE UTILITY TRANSFORMATION VIA ARTICULATED NOSE TECHNOLOGY, IS A WEAPON THAT CAN ADJUST FOR SLIGHT MISSES, WHILE IN FLIGHT. HELPING TO ENSURE THAT WHEN A PUNCH IS THROWN, IT HITS THE TARGET, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. AS FOR HOW THAT PUNCH IS THROWN, THEY’RE STILL WORKING ON IT. 

[Dr. Ben Dickinson, Research Engineer, Air Force Research Labratory}

“We’re exploring a broad target set, we’re looking at offensive roles, we’re looking at defensive roles, we’re looking at surface launch functions. All of these kind of go into our figuring about the future instance of a system that may employ this technology to provide overall operational value to the warfighter.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE MUTANT IS SET FOR TESTING LATER THIS YEAR WITH THE HELLFIRE MISSILE. AS FOR WHEN IT MIGHT BE READY FOR USE IN THE REAL WORLD, THAT, AS THEY SAY, IS T-B-D.