Dramatic moment British killer drone fires laser guided missile in incredible world-first that could change warfighting
T150, a heavy-lifter quadcopter, was seen firing precision rockets - obliterating targets on the ground and in the air.
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Footage shared by Malloy Aeronautics - a Brit aviation company which manufactured the drone - shows the drone successfully shooting a winged drone during a trial in the US.
It marks the first time a precision munition was fired from a rotary drone to blast another airborne target, according to British defence giant BAE Systems, which owns Malloy.
The clip also showed a quadcopter launching missiles and blasting a van during trials this summer over a desert in Utah.
Engineers said the trials marked a 'game-changing moment for the modern battlefield'.
It is being seen as a breakthrough in modern warfare tactics that could help thwart cheap kamikaze drone attacks without having to deploy expensive defence systems - like the US patriot missiles.
The drone can be equipped with with APKWS laser-guidance kit that fires 70-millimetre rockets up to 6.5 kilometres.
Initially, the drone system was designed to act as a heavy lifter for the military.
Each one can carry loads of up to 68kg each - allowing them to take over cargo jobs that are currently carried out using manned helicopters.
The weapon system can be removed from the drone within an hour, enabling the drone to be repurposed to supply cargo or to perform reconnaissance
It is already used by the US Marines and Britain's Royal Navy to move equipment between ships at sea, replacing some helicopter lifts.
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Anthony Gregory, of BAE Systems Air, said: 'Everybody can see what's going on in the world with drone technology.
"So the counter-[drone] piece is on everybody's lips, and therefore trying to do that sustainably and affordably.
'At the moment, people are having to fire patriot missiles and all that kind of stuff.
"That's an expensive way of countering a very low-cost threat. So that's the genesis of why we've gone down this avenue.'
Cheap drones have been touted as the future of modern warfare after Ukraine took the world by surprise with its advanced drone technology.
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And the best example of Kyiv 's pioneering work on aerial warfare has to be Operation Spiderweb - a mass drone attack which inflicted $7billion worth of damage and left Russia 's precious fleet of bombers in tatters.
The T150 drones currently cost tens of thousands of pounds each to produce.
But BAE Systems said it was developing a new weaponised drone, aiming to offer military customers a lower-cost option for countering unmanned aircraft.
Given anticipated demand from Western militaries, BAE said it was aiming to start manufacturing the electric motors that power the drone in Britain, instead of buying them from China.
"We're trying to what we would call onshore, or friend shore, all elements in the value chain of the supply chain," Gregory said.
Inside Operation Spiderweb
By James Halpin, Foreign News Reporter
UKRAINE'S shock sleeper drone blitz on Russia's bomber fleet has delivered a hammer blow to Vladimir Putin's nuclear arsenal.
The SAS-style strike against four airfields deep inside Russia is reminiscent of the most daring raids of the WW2 that turned the tide against the Nazis.
Volodymyr Zelensky oversaw Operation Spiderweb - much like Winston Churchill did as Britain struck deep behind enemy lines.
Putin's doomsday bomber fleet is now crippled with 41, or a third, of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks on tarmac.
Ukraine said the sneak attack was worth $7bn (£5.2bn) in damage to Russia - caused by only 117 cheaply made drones.
Ukraine's spies spent 18 months putting the plan into action and struck on the eve of fresh peace talks in Istanbul.
The drones and the containers were smuggled into Russia separately and were pieced together right under Vlad's nose.
Clueless lorry drivers then parked the containers next to Russian airbases - where they sat and waited in plain sight.
Then, on the morning of June 1, the fleet of flying bombs rose over the far reaches of Russia - and the most daring military operation of the war began.
Nondescript shipping containers parked in laybys and verges had attracted little attention - before their lids blew open and the drone swarms poured out.
The craft buzzed as they took off into the air and only had to travel a short distance to their valuable targets.
Each of the 117 drones had their own dedicated pilot and Russia had little defences to protect their bases and stop them.
Drones with cameras sent video back to HQ in Ukraine of the moment craft struck their targets and explosions ripped into the sky.
Thick black smoke climbed high, with civilians near the bases sending video of Ukraine's successes around the world.
The furthest strike was Belaya Air Base - so far inside Russia that the closest neighbouring country is Mongolia.
Olenya Air Base near Finland and Ivanovo and Dyagilevo near Moscow were also struck in the country's west.
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