Low-Cost Long-Range Airdrop Delivery

Zone 5 has outlined essential design features critical to the success of the Low-Cost Long Range Air Drop (LCLRAD) program and its missions.  The Zone 5 system is designed with the following enabling attributes: Turbine Powered Propulsion: Turbine propulsion significantly enhances the vehicle’s operational utility.  A turbine reduces the vehicle's total weight, simplifies manufacturing and assembly, dramatically decreases Time to Target (T2T), preserves range in adverse wind conditions, and significantly reduces intercept options. Flexible Palletized Launch System: LCLRAD is designed using Zone 5’s PAC-RAT launcher.  PAC-RAT uses standard aircrew and air launch procedures and has successfully demonstrated single and multi-vehicle launched of CLEAVER low-cost cruise missiles using AFSOC C-130 and commercial Short SC.7 Skyvan and Short C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft.  These tests lay the foundation of success that directly benefits all future applications.   Modular Open System Architecture:  By building on a Government MOSA framework, the LCLRAD program can accelerate development and enable software re-use from similar programs.  LCLRAD will be built using Zone 5’s flight proven Weapon Open System Architecture (WOSA) software stack.  It features modular software components that communicate through industry standard ARINC-653 interfaces and can be easily tailored or replaced to support LCLRAD specific requirements and capabilities.   Simplified and Streamlined Manufacturing Process: Our approach to the LCLRAD program leverages the infrastructure developed from Zone 5’s CLEAVER and RUSTY DAGGER air-launched munition programs.  A core aspect of our manufacturing strategy involves the use of these existing, robust technologies to streamline our production process.  This method not only streamlines assembly operations, but also markedly reduces production costs, particularly as we scale.  Comprehensive digitalization of our manufacturing process streamlines operations, optimizes resource use, and substantially lowers expenses, while ensuring the highest quality production.   Combining COTS technology with high TRL technologies from existing systems, the Zone 5 solution offers a high probability of successfully meeting LCLRAD requirements.