The U.S. Air Force's new MUTANT missile can bend its nose. For some individuals, this seems like a useless capability. 

(Photo : Usaf/Getty Images)
Us Air Force Personnel Launch A Test Patriot Missile During An Exercise Involving The Militaries Of The Us, Canada, Germany, And The Netherlands April 30, 1997 Near El Paso, Tx.

However, having the ability to twist in mid-air can actually increase a missile's accuracy. 

The new MUTANT (Missile Utility Transformation via Articulated Nose Technology) was highlighted during the recent Air and Space Forces Association's Warfare Symposium 2023 event. 

Now, here's what the USAF recently shared about this new missile project. 

US Air Force's New MUTANT Missile Can Bend Its Nose!

According to The Drive's latest report, the MUTANT project aims to make air-to-air missiles with flexible nose, which can bend toward targets. 

(Photo : USAF/Getty Images)
An unarmed Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Missile Defense Agency is expected to conduct a developmental flight test October 14, 2002.

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Via its official blog post, AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) explained that MUTANT is a type of active morphing, which involves high-rate pivoting of the missile's forebody. 

This technique is referred to as articulation. 

"Articulation is accomplished with an articulation control actuation system (ACAS)," explained AFRL. 

The agency added that ACAS consists of a composite high-strain skin structure that can envelop an internal electromagnetic actuation system. 

Thanks to this technology, the missile's forebody can be used as a flight control surface to augment air-to-air axisymmetric missile efficiency.  

MUTANT Missile's Accuracy 

Traditional air-to-air missiles are efficient when it comes to stationary targets. 

However, if their targets move before impact, these conventional missiles need to adjust their entire bodies just to hit their targets. 

This is a major problem if you are also targeting jets and other high-speed objects. 

With the new MUTANT tech, missiles no longer need to adjust their bodies. Instead, their noses will bend to the direction of their targets' new position. 

This slight course correction can drastically increase the accuracy of air-to-air missiles. 

As of writing, AFRL is still testing the new MUTANT project. The defense agency will perform three ground tests involving a modified Hellfire missile. 

These tests will be conducted from the mid-fiscal year 2023 until the end of 2024. You can click this link to learn more about the new MUTANT missile project. 

In other news, the new USAF-Reliable Robotics collaboration is expected to work on autonomous flights for military needs. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin with a $2 billion contract to develop the first sea-based hypersonic tech. 

For more news updates about missiles and other defense innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.  

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