A video of the shoot-down<\/u><\/a>\u00a0shows a Ukrainian air defense team, armed with an unknown man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS): either a Soviet-era\u00a0SA-18 \u201cIgla\u201d<\/u><\/a>, an American FIM-92 Stinger, or a Polish-made\u00a0Piorun<\/u><\/a>. A Russian cruise missile flies past the team, the turbine engine clearly audible. The\u00a0MANPADS<\/a>\u00a0operator launches his missile, and seconds later, a distant explosion signals a successful intercept.<\/p>\n The eight-month-long war in Ukraine has reinforced many ideas about modern warfare, including the thought that sophisticated, relatively inexpensive missile systems, operated by a single person, can destroy multi-million-dollar weapons platforms like the\u00a0T-90 tank<\/a>,\u00a0Ka-52 \u201cAlligator\u201d attack helicopter<\/a>,\u00a0Su-34 fighter bomber<\/a>\u00a0\u2026 and now cruise missiles. While these weapons have been around for years, Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has driven home the idea that a single missile operated by a single person can easily destroy weapons often touted as decisive. Ukrainian troops have single-handedly destroyed Russian tanks and armored vehicles with\u00a0NLAW<\/a>\u00a0and Javelin anti-tank weapons, and Stinger missiles have shot down Russian aircraft and drones.<\/p>\n Battlefield\u00a0drones<\/a>\u00a0have grown increasingly popular in recent years, serving in places like Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine, Israel, and elsewhere. The drones, cruising at relatively low altitudes, have been used for reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, and dropping unguided munitions. Models such as the Iranian Shahed-136, which Russia bought by the planeload, are capable of one-way,\u00a0kamikaze-style attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Until now, the solution to the tank and armored vehicle threat was the Javelin missile; The solution to the aerial threat was the Stinger missile. Javelins are issued at a far greater rate in the U.S. Army, at two per platoon, or about one for every 20 soldiers. The growing threat from drones, however, is making previously neglected air defense systems more relevant than ever. Both Javelin and Stinger require command launch units (CLUs), which typically include a gripstock, sighting system, night-vision sight, controls, and indicators. The missile launch tube is attached to the CLU, the CLU is shouldered and switched on, and the soldier carrying it can engage multi-million-dollar targets with ease.<\/p>\n One solution? A single launcher that can fire both missiles. Raytheon, which makes both the Javelin and Stinger, is exhibiting the new Lightweight Command Launch Unit (LWCLU) at the Association of the U.S. Army show this week in Washington, D.C. Although the system was\u00a0first tested in 2021<\/a>, the war in Ukraine\u2014especially recent events\u2014makes it more relevant than ever.<\/p>\n The LWCLU was born out of an idea that the 1990s-era Javelin CLU could be made smaller and lighter due to advances in modern electronics and battery power. The original CLU\u00a0weighed<\/u><\/a>\u00a014.16 pounds.\u00a0Per\u00a0<\/u>National Defense<\/u><\/em><\/a>, the new LWCLU is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter.\u00a0Overt Defense<\/em>\u00a0says<\/u><\/a>\u00a0it has a 50 percent increase in battery life, which is particularly useful with the Javelin, as the thermal imager is often used as a handy nighttime surveillance system. The defense site also says the LWCLU has an engagement range of 4,000 meters, or 2.48 miles, compared to the original CLU\u2019s range of 2,500 meters, or 1.55 miles.<\/p>\n The \u200b\u200bStinger\/Lightweight CLU integration kit adds the Stinger missile plus a more useful and informative interface for the Stinger operator. Previously, an operator self-acquired the aerial threat, pointed a live Stinger at it, and a high-pitched aural tone would inform the operator the missile\u2019s seeker had locked onto the aircraft. The new LWCLU displays the location and direction of an airborne threat provided by the Army\u2019s air-defense battle network; It also displays a green, yellow, or red reticle to differentiate between a good lock, partial lock, or no lock at all.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2198240-1665607084.jpg\")
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