A new loitering munition weighing just over five pounds (2.3 kilograms) could give US forces a lightweight way to strike armored vehicles, fortified structures, and other targets from more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) away.
Developed by Heaviside Industries, the TYR loitering munition was introduced at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., on October 12.
The system reaches speeds exceeding 150 miles (241 kilometers) per hour and offers more than 60 minutes of flight time, according to the company.
While the munition itself weighs just over five pounds, the complete system weighs approximately 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms), making it portable enough for troops to carry.
TYR is designed to operate in contested environments, including areas where GPS signals are unavailable or disrupted.
Heaviside also said the system has a low acoustic and visual signature to help it operate with less chance of detection.
Four Warhead Options for Different Targets
Rather than limiting TYR to a single target type, Heaviside is offering four warhead variants supplied by Norwegian defense company Nammo.
These include a shaped-charge anti-tank warhead, an anti-structure munition, an explosively formed penetrator, and an anti-personnel fragmentation warhead.
The options are intended to let military users select the appropriate effects for different mission needs.
TYR can support ground and base defense missions, serve in counter-drone roles, or be integrated onto larger unmanned systems.
“With a first-of-its-kind combination of size, weight, and performance, TYR packs an outsized punch against armored vehicles, fortified structures, and other enemy targets while keeping warfighters farther from harm’s way,” said Heaviside CEO Phillip Walker.
Live-Fire Testing Completed
The company said TYR has completed live-fire testing and is already under contract with US Department of Defense customers.
Heaviside also announced that the system has been evaluated against requirements for range, lethality, portability, and performance in contested environments.
Nils Haagenrud, president of Heaviside, said the system is intended to help US and allied forces maintain an advantage as adversaries increasingly use unmanned systems on the battlefield.
“TYR does exactly that by enabling widespread fielding of a lightweight loitering munition with the range and lethality necessary to increase standoff distance,” he explained.
