Mistral Inc. and UVision Inc. have landed another US Army program, just months after the companies secured two additional contracts with the Pentagon.
The two companies announced that their Hero-90 loitering munition (suicide drone) had been selected to take part in the US Army’s Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program.
LASSO is described as an urgent initiative to deliver a man-portable, precision anti-armor capability to Brigade Combat Teams for rapid, lethal engagement of armored threats.
The official US government website for system for award management describes the need for LASSO program: “The Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT) are at risk of failing to achieve tactical overmatch against peer adversary armor vehicles, hardened targets, defilade targets, personnel targets at extended ranges, and executing target hand-off with precision fires during Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO).”
Therefore, “the Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) is required due to lack of adequate proportional organic capabilities to apply immediate, point long-range fire with minimal collateral damage in complex terrain in all environments.”
The HERO-90, developed by UVision, is designed for anti-armor missions and delivers extended-range, precision strikes from a highly portable form factor, supporting rapid launch by a single operator in under two minutes.
The system supports man-in-the-loop control, mission abort and re-engage capabilities, and integrates with Common Control architectures as well as configurable warheads. Its lightweight, backpack-portable launcher enables rapid deployment by a single operator, while AI-assisted tracking and EO/IR sensors as well as secure beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communication ensures precision in complex environments.
"Selection of HERO-90 reflects the Army's focus on portability, lethality, and MOSA-ready integration. Together with UVision, Mistral will support PdM Soldier Precision Targeting Devices with a solution that aligns to Common Control and integrates seamlessly across the BCT kill chain,” Yoav Banai, senior vice president of Mistral Inc said in a press release.
Popular loitering munitions
Based in Tzur Yigal, UVision develops and manufactures the Hero series of loitering munitions. The company has various models, the largest of which is the Hero 1250, which carries a 50-kilogram warhead, has a range of more than 200 kilometers, and an operation duration of up to 10 hours.
In October, Mistral and UVision landed a $982 million contract to supply HERO 120 loitering munitions under the Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS) program for the US Army. The contract covers system deliveries, training, and lifecycle sustainment. The HERO 120, developed by UVision and integrated by Mistral, offers tactical units a lightweight, high-precision loitering munition capable of engaging targets in complex environments.
Several months earlier in June, UVision and Mistral won another US government contract worth $73.5 million to supply Hero-120SF loitering munitions to the US Special Operations Command, including the munitions, spare parts, engineering change proposals, new equipment training, and the conversion from organic precision fires-mounted to medium-range precision strike systems.