The jet-propelled weapon falls into the U.S. military\u2019s Group 3 uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) category, defined as designs weighing between 55 and 1,320 pounds, able to fly at between 3,500 and 18,000 feet, and having top speeds of between 100 and 250 knots. Lumberjack can be launched from the surface or the air. It carries a payload size similar to that of a 250-pound class\u00a0Small Diameter Bomb<\/a>\u00a0(SDB). It can be configured for kinetic strike, including dropping submunitions of its own, or other roles, such as acting as an electronic warfare platform or reconnaissance. This flexibility comes via a modular center base compartment.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it is air-launched and\/or ground-launched, and it has a several hundred-mile range, you can basically put in kinetic effects from a forward-deployed ground base \u2014 very modular \u2014 it\u2019s a two-man lift. So you can have an ability to sort of reach out and defend surface and land capabilities, as well as air deploy, and have non-kinetic electronic warfare protection for your main forces,\u201d Bastin told us.<\/p>\n It can also trade its range for loitering endurance, staying in the air over an area for \u201ca couple hours.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of launch options, Bastin said \u201cwe\u2019ve demonstrated two different launchers. One is an electric rail system developed for \u2026 the Navy, intended actually to launch off of ships. So you could actually launch this off of surface vessels. We\u2019ve also launched it using a pneumatic technique, which is field-deployable. It\u2019s very similar to what\u2019s being employed currently in Europe \u2026 If the ground forces want it, it\u2019s basically a large, effectively a potato gun. Very cheap, very easy to build. You can build it in, you know, local components.\u201d<\/p>\n Cost-wise, Lumberjack is aiming to come in at around $75 to $100K \u201cper effect,\u201d according to Northrop Grumman.<\/p>\n With this in mind, from a single ground position, Lumberjack would allow a very small team to take on targets anywhere in a circle ranging at least 200 miles (possibly significantly further) in any direction, and do so relatively rapidly thanks to the Lumberjack\u2019s jet speed. Once again, this is a capability far beyond the range of traditional and guided rocket artillery systems, and one that can be employed without the need to put airpower overhead. That is a huge amount of territory that can be put at risk very cheaply. The ability for a single Lumberjack to attack multiple small targets geographically separated, using submunitions on its one-and-only sortie it will fly, is also a major plus \u2014 both in terms of value and flexibility.<\/p>\n Lumberjack\u2019s potential use as a ship-based weapon is also attractive, especially due to its cost, range, and smaller size. Its loitering ability could come in use for many roles, from electronic warfare to reconnaissance, but especially for setting up force protection pickets between the ship and potential small surface threats. You can read all about how a weapon just like this could be a huge plus for surface combatants\u00a0in this past feature of ours.<\/a><\/p>\n As for air launch capabilities, that seems a little less defined as of now. The weapon has roughly the same size and mounting provisions as a Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), Bastin told us, and the company is working with a \u201cnumber of government partners\u201d investigating a variety of launch platforms. When it comes to the possibility of putting this on fast jets, not just slower helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, there are \u201ccustomers interested in certifying it for that,\u201d Bastin said.<\/p>\n Then there is the fairly bizarre name, Lumberjack. Bastin wasn\u2019t sure how that came about, but as we look at the concept and its submunitions dropping capability, as well as other Northrop Grumman products, it may be that it is intended to drop\u00a0Hatchet<\/a>, the\u00a0company\u2019s 6lb micro guided munition<\/a>, which is already\u00a0finding its way onto other Group 3<\/a>\u00a0unmanned aircraft. The pairing of these two concepts together would be highly logical and would up the procurement case for Lumberjack.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Lumberjack-munition-2-1024x576.webp\")