Watch: Golden Eagle HS is a tiny copter with a big punch

Military drones are moving into the heavy-hitting league, as Stedicopter shows off its Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) Rotary Unmanned Aerial System (RUAS). It's a 50-kg (110-lb) autonomous helicopter that can carry a heavy anti-tank missile.

The latest member of Stedicopter's Golden Eagle family, the Golden Eagle HS is another example of how drones are expanding into every niche of the airborne military. Within a very short generation, RUAS and similar autonomous aircraft have gone from looking like something you'd buy at a hobby shop to an increasingly important part of the arsenals of every major military power.

Although it has a length of only about 10 ft (3 m) and weighs a mere 50 kg at takeoff, the Golden Eagle HS packs a serious tank-killing punch because it can be armed with either the Rafael Spike SR missile – with a range of 1.6 miles (2.5 km) – or the Spike LR2, that can reach 3.4 miles (5.5 km).

These are sixth-generation, precision-strike, fire-and-forget missiles that lock onto a target before launch and then automatically guide themselves in using an imaging infrared seeker. Each missile trails a fiber optic cable that allows an operator to switch targets while in flight. When the missile reaches the target, it takes it out using a high-explosive anti-tank warhead that can punch through 28 in (70 cm) of rolled armor.

The purpose of the Golden Eagle HS is to provide close-in air support to ground forces in rough country or urban areas. With a data link that has a range of 93 miles (150 km) and an advanced suite of high-definition day/night EO/IR cameras, the Golden Eagle HS is designed to work in tandem with a pair of drones carrying both versions of the Spike missile.

In addition, the copters can work in a low-profile swarm launched from multiple sources for a combined attack on high-value targets. They can also conduct heavy-strike tactical close-support for border protection, perimeter security, and urban warfare.

Source: Steadicopter