These three companies got contracts for DARPA’s new LongShot drone

[Combat-Master]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to create an air-launched drone that carries its own smaller weapons, a concept that brings to mind a super lethal Russian nesting doll packed with missiles.
If successful, the new unmanned aerial vehicle — called LongShot — could allow high-value manned aircraft like fighters and bombers to hang back at standoff distances while LongShot moves forward and strikes multiple targets using its own air-launched weapons.
DARPA announced Feb. 8 that it had awarded contracts to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for the first phase of the program, where the companies will create preliminary designs.
“The LongShot program changes the paradigm of air combat operations by demonstrating an unmanned, air-launched vehicle capable of employing current and advanced air-to-air weapons,” said Lt. Col. Paul Calhoun, DARPA’s program manager. “LongShot will disrupt traditional incremental weapon improvements by providing an alternative means of generating combat capability.”

These three companies won contracts for DARPA’s new LongShot drone

LongShot will be able to launch from a fighter or bomber and then repeatedly attack targets with its own weapons cache.

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