The JACKAL aerial drone has successfully launched the Thales lightweight multirole missile (LMM) for the first time. The UK Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office sponsored the test as part of an unmanned air combat advancement initiative. The project yielded two operational JACKAL drones and demonstrated two live fires of the LMM within just six weeks. Flyby Technology, Thales, and Turkish unmanned solutions providers FlyBVLOS Technology and Maxwell Innovations are collaborating on the project.

“Flyby could have an exciting future in this sector, and the partnering and support from Thales was outstanding in lowering the barriers to entry for innovative start-ups,” said Rapid Capabilities Office Head Air Cdre. Jez Holmes, noting the impressive short time scale it took for the team to deliver the initial trial.

The JACKAL is a vertical take-off and landing vehicle that can perform close air support and battlefield air interdiction operations. It is capable of engaging in-flight helicopters and tanks and protecting airfields and roadways from adversaries. The JACKAL can be deployed from vulnerable runways and remote sites such as woods and built-up camps.

“JACKAL is designed by ωar fighters for that ultimate aim,” said Flyby Technology CEO Jon Parker. “The future of ωarfare is changing, and JACKAL is part of that future as a true multi-role attack aircraft. We want to make JACKAL a flagship product, creating secure UK jobs and contributing to a new future for the British aerospace and defense industries.”

The LMM is a precision strike multirole missile designed for tactical missions on land, sea, and air. It can intercept targets such as armored vehicles, fast inshore attack vessels, and autonomous airborne systems. Its warhead consists of blast fragmentation and sharp charge effects for effective threat neutralization. In the UK Royal Navy, the LMM is known as the Martlet lightweight missile.

“One of the unique selling points of LMM is its ability to be integrated onto multiple platforms to address different threats,” explained Thales Northern Ireland Managing Director Philip McBride.