QinetiQ launches transonic Banshee NG aerial target

Copyright: QinetiQ

Banshee NG was built to enable NATO and allied militaries to train against simulated higher speed aerial threats, preparing for the evolution in those threats that are being seen to emerge. As a fifth member of the Banshee family of targets – joining the Banshee Whirlwind, Jet 40, Jet 80 and Jet 80+ - customers buying the Banshee NG will own a new generation of transonic aerial target that travels at a faster speed (>250 metres per second), soars to a higher altitude (up to 12,000 metres), offers increased manoeuvrability (up to 9G, from typically 3G), offers lower sea skimming capabilities (three metres) and is less detectable due to a low radar cross section (RCS).

This further evolution in threat representation technology is a key part of QinetiQ’s strategy to lead and deliver world-class test and evaluation, training and mission rehearsal capabilities for governments around the world.

Peter Longstaff, Managing Director of QinetiQ Target Systems says, “Banshee NG is the next-step up in the Banshee family, for the live fire, test and evaluation community looking to buy an affordable target that represents even faster and more manoeuvrable aerial threats. Adding Banshee NG to QinetiQ’s Target Systems’ portfolio enables us to deliver an even more comprehensive end-to-end threat representation offering to customers. As with all our targets, we can either provide Banshee NG as a product sale or deploy to a customer’s site as part of a managed service for test or training purposes.”

An extra advantage to the Banshee NG is that it is operated using the infrastructure and accessories that QinetiQ’s Target Systems business offers for its other Banshee targets. This includes being launched with ground-based pneumatic air-launchers, being equipped with a range of payloads such as radar augmentation, miss distance indication and sophisticated electronic warfare capability and being operated using the command and control systems currently on offer by QinetiQ.

Once launched, Banshee NG is operated with a proprietary QinetiQ guidance system and range-certified flight termination system that enables full control at all times. It can be recovered using a parachute.