BAE Systems Unveils BlackThorn Modular Warhead Family for Drone Era
On July 21, 2026, BAE Systems unveiled BlackThorn, a new family of modular warheads designed for the modern drone warfare era. The warhead family comes in 40mm, 70mm, and 120mm variants, supporting blast, fragmentation, multi-purpose, and anti-armor effects. BlackThorn has already been selected for integration into Frankenburg Technologies' Mark I short-range air defense missile, a low-cost interceptor targeting Class I-III drones. The collaboration, formalized earlier in 2026, pairs BAE's decades of warhead expertise with Frankenburg's fast-moving missile manufacturing. Frankenburg aims to produce up to 10,000 Mark I missiles annually under the UK's Low-Cost Air Defence Effectors program. The modular design allows the same core technology to be configured across different platforms, reducing cost and logistics burdens.
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