Other details and production
The company is also projecting that the Lumberjack drone can be launched from ships, making it an even more attractive proposition. Further, the fully autonomous drone can also take orders from personnel on the ground to carry out missions.
With a roughly 200-mile range, Northrop expects the drone to fill out the gaps for weapons that can strike at a little longer range than artillery without needing planes in the air.
The submunitions it can carry include Hatchet – a six-pound, miniature precision strike munition – developed by Northrop.
The company has been conducting Lumberjack’s flight tests since 2024 with a research and engineering division of the US defense. It now invites customers to bring it into the production and actual testing phase.
It remains to be seen whether Lumberjack – or any drones with similar capabilities – are inducted by the US forces in the coming days.