In the spirit of not wasting, Anduril Industries launched the Roadrunner-Munition (Roadrunner-M) "Zouque" jet-propelled VTOL autonomous interception drone, which can not only destroy air threats, but also return to the base intact to continue fighting.
In recent years, military drones have been used in an increasingly wide range of missions, but drones capable of dealing with enemy aircraft and other aerial threats have been somewhat weak. This means that air defense systems must rely on expensive missiles that are eventually destroyed even if the target proves to be harmless and the attack is aborted.
After two years of research and development, Roadrunner-M is a high-explosive interceptor variant of Anduril's Roadrunner platform. This customizable drone is powered by dual jet engines and housed in a protective storage box. It also carries a launcher with a modular design that can change the payload according to specific mission targets.
According to the company, Roadrunner-M can fly at subsonic speeds, but details such as speed, range and payload weight have not yet been released. The UAV's warhead load is three times that of similar aircraft, its maneuverability under gravity is three times that of similar aircraft, and its one-way range is 10 times that of similar aircraft.
Roadrunner-M is designed to deal with a variety of drones and other aircraft, using its autonomous flight system to locate targets and destroy them with high-explosive warheads. It can also take off, track and intercept distant targets while sending sensor data back to a command center.
If the threat proves non-existent, "Roadrunner"-M can return intact to base or another pre-designated location to perform another mission. This helps reduce costs and allows multiple Road Runners to attack targets using their standard artificial intelligence software or integrated into existing command and control systems.
The price of "Roadrunner-M" has not yet been announced, but the unit price is estimated to be around hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The video below demonstrates Roadrunner-M’s capabilities in action: