“Our Picatinny team went from concept to live-fire in two weeks,” said Army Col. Vinson Morris, project manager of Project Manager Close Combat Systems.

“Braker proves our ability to rapidly develop and safely deliver devastating effects from small, unmanned aircraft systems. We are now creating the architecture with Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit and the small, universal payload interface for industry to scale this critical warfighter advantage.”

The Braker project is aimed at creating a lightweight, powerful and lethal warhead that could be deployed from a small, agile drone. 

The U.S. Army also revealed that the Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit is a safe and effective method for integrating lethal payloads with UAS platforms, designed and developed by engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center. 

In early March, engineers from the Armaments Center began designing, explosive pressing, housing manufacturing and integrating the warhead to be used on a low-cost and expendable one-way attack drone. Shortly thereafter, transfer and compatibility tests were conducted at Picatinny Arsenal, and approximately a dozen warheads were assembled, one of which was tested on a makeshift test range bunker, according to a press release.

After proving worthiness and validating effectiveness, the prototype warheads departed Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, for Redstone Arsenal, where a live demonstration was conducted for Army leaders, as per the release.

“Rapid demonstrations of overwhelming lethality, such as Braker, are attributed to years of continued technology investments and the organic core technical competencies and facilities resident at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command] Armaments Center,” said Anthony Sebasto, executive director of the Munitions Engineering and Technology Center.

The US Army highlighted that the successful detonation of a target deployed by a device attached to a drone demonstrates a new and potent capability for the modern warfighter. It also illustrates how quickly engineers can design, fabricate and integrate hardware to meet urgent and compelling needs. 

Designed for integration on small, agile drones, the BRAKER munition combines kinetic penetration with an internal explosive effect. Upon impact, the warhead uses its velocity and mass to breach protective layers such as soil or reinforced structures before detonating inside the target. This approach concentrates the blast within enclosed spaces, increasing destructive efficiency against bunkers and field fortifications while limiting external energy dissipation, reported Army Recognition.