The Pentagon wants to buy an Australian-made 'kamikaze' suicide drone armed with a shotgun

The Pentagon clears an Australian shotgun drone for American government procurement Australia's Cerberus MI can fire weapons and return for reloading The 40-pound aircraft can carry shotguns or grenade launchers The Pentagon has approved an Australian-developed armed drone for inclusion on a procure

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>The Pentagon clears an Australian shotgun drone for American government procurement</strong></li><li><strong>Australia's Cerberus MI can fire weapons and return for reloading</strong></li><li><strong>The 40-pound aircraft can carry shotguns or grenade launchers</strong></li></ul><p>The Pentagon has approved an Australian-developed armed drone for inclusion on a procurement list used by American military and federal agencies.</p><p>Cerberus MI was developed by Skyborne Technologies and carries a 12-gauge shotgun for engaging targets during flight.</p><p>Unlike disposable attack drones, the 40-pound (18-kilogram) aircraft can return to its operator after an engagement, receive fresh ammunition, and undertake another mission.</p><h2 id="a-reusable-aircraft-carrying-conventional-weapons">A reusable aircraft carrying conventional weapons</h2><p>Skyborne designed Cerberus MI with a reinforced airframe capable of handling weapon recoil, while allowing operators to exchange its shotgun for a 40mm low-velocity grenade launcher.</p><p>The aircraft uses onboard artificial intelligence to combine information from multiple sensors, although human operators retain control over engagement decisions.</p><p>Skyborne says its targeting system for this <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/drones/best-drone">drone</a> supports engagements at distances exceeding 300 metres (984 feet).</p><p>When carrying its weapons, the drone can remain airborne for approximately 35 minutes, with a maximum speed of 54 kilometres (34 miles) per hour.</p><p>It also supports payloads weighing up to 9 pounds (4 kilograms), placing it within the Group 2 classification for unmanned aircraft.</p><p>Skyborne developed the platform for counter-drone operations and direct-fire engagements, with an emphasis on reusing the aircraft rather than discarding it after every mission.</p><p>“Cerberus MI was designed around that principle — a reusable, reloadable direct-fire UAS with an expanding weapon ecosystem, using standard ammunition to deliver low cost per shot and greater magazine depth,” said Adrian Dudok, chief executive for US operations at Skyborne.</p><h2 id="pentagon-clearance-removes-procurement-restrictions">Pentagon clearance removes procurement restrictions</h2><p>The aircraft's inclusion on the Department of Defense's Blue UAS Cleared List gives eligible American government agencies access to the system without obtaining individual policy exceptions.</p><p>The Defense Contract Management Agency approved the aircraft after examining its cybersecurity protections, supply-chain arrangements, and potential exposure to foreign influence.</p><p>These assessments follow requirements established under the National Defense Authorization Act, which governs several aspects of military procurement and equipment security.</p><p>The clearance does not necessarily mean the Pentagon has placed an order or committed funding towards purchasing Cerberus MI.</p><p>Instead, the approval establishes that the aircraft has satisfied the relevant assessment requirements for inclusion on the government procurement list.</p><p>For Skyborne, the decision provides an opportunity to introduce its aircraft into American defence procurement channels without requiring prospective government customers to pursue separate policy exemptions.</p><p>Michael Creagh, the company's chief executive for the Asia-Pacific region, said the design was intended to accommodate changing military requirements without replacing the entire aircraft.</p><p>“Our focus has been on building a system that can adapt to emerging operational requirements without continually replacing the underlying hardware,” said Creagh.</p><p>The company has not disclosed the number of aircraft American agencies might acquire, the expected contract value, or any delivery schedule. </p><p>Via <a href="https://dronefront.com/us-australia-kamikaze-drone-shotgun/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Drone Front</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check="" ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:676px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:31.51%;"><img id="diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78" name="tr-g_news" alt="Google logo on a black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78-1920-80.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="676" height="213" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline" /></p></div></div></figure> </article> ]]>