Photo: BAE Systems
Military contractor BAE Systems has developed an improved version of its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS). The upgrade will increase the APKWS laser-guided rockets strike range by up to 30%, allowing warfighters to engage targets from a greater distance.
The APKWS is a guidance kit that turns an unguided 2.75-inch (70 mm) rocket into a precision-guided missile using a laser guidance system. The weapon comes to fill the gap between the Hydra 70 and AGM-114 Hellfire systems, allowing it to engage lightly armored point targets at a lower cost.
Depending on the platform that it’s launched from, the current APKWS design has a range of 1.5-5 km (0.62-3 miles) from a rotary-wing platform and 2-12 km (1.2-7.4 miles) from a fixed-wing aircraft. It is capable of engaging targets while keeping the aircraft and laser designators safe from threats. All four guidance wings of the rocket have advanced DASALS seeker optics. Once fired, the wings deploy, and the optics lock in, guiding the missile to the target with pinpoint accuracy.
The new upgrade will allow the next-generation APKWS guided rockets to lock onto targets from a greater distance while improving their precision strike lethality. BAE Systems claims that their updated guidance kits will enable the rocket to engage targets at a steeper angle of attack thanks to an optimized flight trajectory. This optimized attack trajectory will maximize first-shot success against both stationary and moving targets.
Plus, customers can also benefit from the logistics and training provided by the guide packages. Across the U.S. armed forces, a single form of the weapon is now qualified for rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, simplifying stock management. The system can be integrated into the already existing platforms, such as the AH-64 Apache and F-16 Fighting Falcon, expanding its flexibility.
To date, APKWS is utilized by all four branches of the U.S. armed forces. The U.S. Army has already achieved numerous confirmed successful engagements in support of current combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Navy have collectively fired thousands of fixed- and rotary-wing shots.
According to BAE Systems, the newly upgraded guidance kits will start production in the third quarter of this year.
Depending on the platform that it’s launched from, the current APKWS design has a range of 1.5-5 km (0.62-3 miles) from a rotary-wing platform and 2-12 km (1.2-7.4 miles) from a fixed-wing aircraft. It is capable of engaging targets while keeping the aircraft and laser designators safe from threats. All four guidance wings of the rocket have advanced DASALS seeker optics. Once fired, the wings deploy, and the optics lock in, guiding the missile to the target with pinpoint accuracy.
The new upgrade will allow the next-generation APKWS guided rockets to lock onto targets from a greater distance while improving their precision strike lethality. BAE Systems claims that their updated guidance kits will enable the rocket to engage targets at a steeper angle of attack thanks to an optimized flight trajectory. This optimized attack trajectory will maximize first-shot success against both stationary and moving targets.
Plus, customers can also benefit from the logistics and training provided by the guide packages. Across the U.S. armed forces, a single form of the weapon is now qualified for rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, simplifying stock management. The system can be integrated into the already existing platforms, such as the AH-64 Apache and F-16 Fighting Falcon, expanding its flexibility.
To date, APKWS is utilized by all four branches of the U.S. armed forces. The U.S. Army has already achieved numerous confirmed successful engagements in support of current combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Navy have collectively fired thousands of fixed- and rotary-wing shots.
According to BAE Systems, the newly upgraded guidance kits will start production in the third quarter of this year.
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