Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) shares move lower Monday, having revealed that in November, it successfully completed a guided flight test of their Small Cruise Missile (SCM), known as Black Arrow, from an AC-130J aircraft. The test demonstrated aircraft compatibility, system performance, waypoint uplinks, guidance accuracy as well as integration with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Battle Management System.
The Black Arrow is a low cost, 200-lb class mission adaptable delivery platform designed to facilitate spiral upgrades for both kinetic and non-kinetic missions. The test was conducted as part of a Collaborative Research and Development (CRADA) agreement between Leidos, the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
"Performing this test from an AC-130 platform while also integrating with the BMS provided aircrews and operators a chance to see how well our SCM worked," said Mark Miller, senior vice president for Missile and Aviation Systems at Leidos.
Speaking at the Special Air Warfare Symposium held at Eglin Air Force Base in March, Col. Justin Bronder noted that, "SCM is a key capability, rapidly advancing AFSOC's ability to close long-range kill chains."
"Aligning to these stringent standards, while successfully demonstrating this capability from an operational aircraft, places us in a strong position to rapidly field Black Arrow if called upon to do so," Miller said.
LDOS shares backpedaled 31 cents to $133.75.
