BAE Systems‘ recently announced Marine aviators completed an operational assessment of its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) with eight direct hits in eight shots.
The operational assessment confirms that the laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket will meet Marine needs.
The successful operational assessment leads to the final step in APKWS development: system qualification against the environments in which the rocket might be employed, transported, and stored. That testing is expected to be finalized in time to allow the Navy to complete a production decision within the next 60 days. From there, the system is expected to enter low-rate initial production.
In 2007, the Army terminated its APKWS effort, which was transferred to the Navy. Funds were reprogrammed for the Marines to continue development on the precision-guided low- cost air-to-ground weapon. The Navy has fully funded production. BAE has been the APKWS prime contractor since 2006.
APKWS, developed by BAE in partnership with the government, provides aviators with a highly precise weapon that is effective against soft and lightly armored targets. The precision of the weapon can reduce death and injury to civilians or infrastructure.
In a series of shots fired at China Lake, Calif., during the weeks of Jan. 11 and 18, Marine AH-1W Cobra helicopters flying a variety of scenarios fired laser-guided APKWS rockets at targets typical of those encountered in theater. Live warheads were fitted to the APKWS guidance section, and in day and night tests, the guided rockets struck their laser-designated targets and detonated on impact, the company said.
“The APKWS operational assessment has demonstrated the system’s effectiveness in a variety of scenarios involving various targets, platform speeds, ranges, and tactics,” said Maj. Matt Sale, requirements officer for Marine Corps Aviation Weapons. “The system’s reliability has been proven with its 19-for-19 performance in tests, exceeding requirements and expectations. We are confident that APKWS is the right-size weapon for many of our typical engagements and will be highly effective in allowing Marine aviators to prosecute targets.”
“Any time I have the opportunity to talk to our men and women in uniform, I hear about the pressing need for the capability afforded by APKWS,” John Watkins, director of missiles and munitions for BAE in Nashua, N.H., said. “This weapon will make a real difference in allowing U.S. warfighters to complete their missions and come home safely.”
Because APKWS uses standard launchers, it requires no platform integration or aircraft modifications, and because it is loaded and fired like a standard 2.75-inch rocket, it requires little additional aviator or ordnance crew training. The mid-body design of its guidance section enables use of existing warheads, fuzes, and rocket motors, enhancing the capability of existing inventory.
APKWS can be fired from any helicopter that can launch 2.75-inch rockets, including the AH-1 Cobra, UH-1 Huey, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, and AH-64 Apache.
On Jan. 4, the Navy published its intent to ask BAE to study the use of APKWS on fixed-wing platforms through a joint cooperative technology demonstration program with the Air Force.
Watkins told sister publication Defense Daily that the threshold platforms for the joint cooperative technology demonstration are the AV-8B and A-10.
The JCTD effort is slated to run from fiscal year 2010 through FY ’12, according to the Jan. 4 Navy notice.