Weapons get smaller, deadlier at China Lake  Engineers at the
Mojave Desert base are developing a miniature missile that can
be launched from a robotic plane against terrorist targets.
April 20, 2009|Peter Pae   In the next month or so, researchers
at the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake expect to test a
2-foot-long Spike missile that is about a "quarter of the size
of the next smallest on the planet," said Steve Felix, the
missile project's manager.  Initially intended for use by ground
troops against tanks, these small guided missiles have been
reconfigured to launch from unmanned airplanes to destroy small
vehicles. In the test, the missile will be fired from a remote-
controlled helicopter and aimed at a moving pickup truck.  If
the test is successful, it will mark another milestone in the
development of weapons for unmanned aircraft, a nascent field
reminiscent of the early days of flight nearly a century ago
when propeller-driven biplanes were jury-rigged with machine
guns.  In recent months, the