The US Navy has confirmed the successful launching and testing of Poniard rockets from a Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV) during the ongoing Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise. Multiple Poniard rockets, which are low-cost guided munitions, were fired from the CUSV during a series of exercises conducted off the coast of Hawaii.
The live-fire demonstration was the culminating event of an ongoing Foreign Comparative Test (FCT) project under the auspices of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E). Captain Matthew Lehmann, program manager of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Modules Office, said the successful live fire demonstration from the CUSV showcases our ability to rapidly deploy and use low-cost guided munitions from unmanned platforms.
The 70mm Poniard is manufactured by defence technology company LIG Nex1 as a guided weapon that accurately strikes multiple hostile landing craft at high speed. The rocket is capable of day and night operation using electro-optical/infrared sensors, and a single vehicle can launch multiple rockets against several targets simultaneously.
The live fire test conducted during RIMPAC 2024 saw a CUSV being deployed from the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) tank landing ship (LST) ROKS Cheon Ja Bong. The LST is one of four ROKN ships currently participating in the biennial exercise.
