BAE Systems Achieves Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System In Record Time During Demo

BAE Systems announced today that the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) recently achieved a first shot success from a fixed-wing aircraft. The semi-active laser guided version of the U.S. military’s Hydra rocket successfully hit within inches of the center of its laser spot target after it was fired off a Hawker Beechcraft AT-6C from a range of three miles. This successful test, which BAE Systems accomplished in record time, highlights the potential of APKWS as a low-cost weapon system for reconnaissance and attack aircraft throughout the world. “APKWS has proved itself to be precise, affordable, versatile, and lethal,” said Roy Rumbaugh, program manager for Missiles & Munitions Solutions. He added, “The user can plug and play with the existing components, and point and shoot this weapon system like a regular Hydra rocket”. Immediately prior to the guided rocket shot, an unguided round in the same launcher was fired to demonstrate the robust APKWS advantage of its sealed, mid-body design to withstand the harsh, real-world environment of adjacent rocket firings. “APKWS had never been integrated on this aircraft before. This independent test on the AT-6C was the first demonstration of the APKWS capability on a fixed-wing aircraft for the fixed-wing community,” Rumbaugh added. In addition, BAE Systems is upgrading the APKWS design to operate in the expanded flight envelopes of high-performance Navy and Air Force aircraft under contract for the Fixed- Wing APKWS Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program.