‘Lumberjack’: Jet-powered US suicide drone can strike 200 miles away with mini bombs
The new drone offering from Northrop can be launched from either the ground or the air.
United States-based defense firm Northrop Grumman has showcased a new type of loitering one-way attack drone, named Lumberjack, intended for use by the military.
The jet-powered drone has been unveiled at the ongoing Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C.
The Modern Day Marine is a two-day conference for military equipment, systems, services, and technology exposition open exclusively to Marines, Department of Defense (DoD), association partners, and authorized industry representatives. It began on April 30 in Halls A & B of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and will end on May 1.
Lumberjack drone from Northrop Grumman
As told by a Northrop official to The War Zone, the Lumberjack drone belongs to Group 3 of the uncrewed aerial system (UAS) category of the US military.
According to the US government, a Group 3 drone should have a maximum takeoff weight of less than 1,320 pounds (598 kilograms) and be able to fly below 18,000 feet altitude at mean sea level. The speed of the UAS should be between 100 and 250 knots (115 and 287 miles per hour).
The report by The War Zone mentions that the Lumberjack drone can carry a payload similar to a 250-pound small-diameter bomb (SDB). Moreover, it can also drop submunitions and carry out kinetic strikes.