Textron Systems said it has been awarded a prototype agreement by the US Army under the Low Altitude Stalking & Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program, marking another step in the Army’s push to field portable loitering munitions for frontline units. Textron said it will deliver a Damocles loitering munition system and conduct a demonstration for the service.
On its product page, Textron describes Damocles as a lightweight VTOL-launched effect with autonomous or semi-autonomous search-and-strike capability, full-motion video feedback for human-in-the-loop control, and operation in GPS-denied environments.
What Textron is offering for LASSO
According to Textron, the Damocles configuration proposed for LASSO combines the company’s loitering munition with a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft system to provide a top-attack capability. The company said the VTOL setup eliminates the need for launch or recovery equipment, a feature it says reduces the logistics burden in the field.
Textron also highlighted the system’s GEN2 explosively formed penetrator (EFP) warhead, which it describes as a top-attack munition designed for high-end combat environments. The company emphasized a modular open systems approach (MOSA), saying the platform can be adapted for other payloads, including electronic warfare effects.
LASSO’s role in the Army’s loitering munition push
The US Army’s Program Executive Office Soldier previously described LASSO as an urgent capability effort intended to rapidly deliver a man-portable loitering munition to Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) through an urgent acquisition pathway. In a 2023 statement, PEO Soldier said the requirement was aimed at giving dismounted units a precision capability against non-line-of-sight and armored targets.
That same PEO Soldier statement described LASSO as a man-portable, tube-launched system comprising a launch tube, an unmanned aircraft, and a fire control station. Textron’s selected Damocles offering, by contrast, is being presented in a VTOL configuration, suggesting the Army’s LASSO effort is evaluating a broader set of launch concepts as it continues prototyping and demonstrations.
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