The U.S. Army shot down a simulated cruise missile traveling at Mach 5 using howitzers outfitted with AI, in a test of the United States Air Force's new Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). ABMS is part of the Pentagon's Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) program, which aims to take existing weapon systems and modify them with advanced automated detection and expand their capabilities.
US Army upgrades howitzers to shoot down cruise missiles The demo took place at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, where B-52 bombers launched six BQM-167 “Skeeter" aerial targets. These targets served as a stand-in low-flying cruise missiles.
The Air Force's ABMS sensors then detected the “cruise missiles” before providing targeting data to an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter and MQ-9 Reaper drone equipped with AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, a ground launcher, a U.S. Navy 5-inch (12.7-cm) deck gun, and U.S. Army M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer tank...MORE
