By Geoff Fein
The Navy has taken over the lead on the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) following the Army’s decision to terminate the program.
BAE Systems last week said the APKWS contract was transferred from the Army to the Navy to complete System Development and Demonstration of the rocket-guidance capability.
“As a result of competing fiscal priorities during the development of the FY ’08 President’s Budget, the Army decided to terminate the program and the Army’s Acquisition Executive signed the APKWS Termination Notification Letter on 30 January, 2007. The APKWS Termination Plan was approved on 24 May 2007,” an Army spokesman told Defense Daily.
The Army’s termination plan for APKWS allowed for the facilitation of Marine Corps’ efforts to transfer BAE’s APKWS contract to the Navy, a source told Defense Daily. The Navy agreed to accept all requirements, resources, and acquisition/contract management responsibilities for development and fielding of APKWS, the source added. Congress appropriated $6 million for the Marine Corps to continue APKWS development, the source said.
Congress subsequently approved reprogramming, which fully funded the Navy’s FY ’08 APKWS development activities, the source added.
“APKWS is a Navy/USMC program that provides a precision-guided, low-cost, low-collateral damage air-to-ground weapon. APKWS was originally an Army-led, Navy interest program based on requirements in each service,” according to Chuck Wagner, a Naval Air Systems Command spokesman.
“In FY ’07 the Army discontinued APKWS funding and did not include it in the FY ’08 budget. The Navy continued its planned integration efforts and received congressionally approved funds to continue the APKWS development in FY ’08,” Wagner said. “The contract was transferred from the Army to the Navy in September 2008, and the Navy received full funding for the program in the FY ’09 budget.”
APKWS is a low-cost, low-yield precision munition system that turns a standard 2.75-inch unguided rocket to a smart, laser-guided weapon capable of engaging unarmored and lightly armored targets. The seeker guides the rocket to its target with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring that the intended target is destroyed while minimizing the risk of collateral damage, according to BAE. APKWS requires no aircraft hardware modifications and allows military aircrews to engage targets that were previously off-limits due to the risk of collateral damage, the company added.
By the end of 2007, the APKWS program had completed 14 demonstrations with two helicopter platforms involving three separate aircrews and various mission scenarios, BAE said. Development funding will be used for testing and qualification of APKWS for use on the Marine Corps’ AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter.
BAE’s Nashua, N.H., facility plans to begin producing the rockets at the end of 2009. The company has been the prime contractor for APKWS since April 2006, the company said.