Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System

The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) also known as Laser, infrared Guided Rocket (LiGR) is a laser-guided rocket compatible with existing Hydra 70 unguided rockets to turn them into precision-guided munitions (PGMs).[1] APKWS is approximately one-third the cost and one-third the weight of the current inventory of laser-guided weapons, has a lower yield more suitable for avoiding collateral damage, and takes one quarter of the time for ordnance personnel to load and unload. As of October 2015, BAE Systems had manufactured 5,000 APKWS units.[2]

Development

Where possible the system utilizes existing Hydra 70 components such as launchers, rocket motors, warheads and fuzes. The weapon bridges the gap between the Hydra 70 and AGM-114 Hellfire systems and provides a cost-effective method of engaging lightly armored point targets. APKWS is the U.S. government’s only program of record for the semi-active, laser-guided 2.75-inch (70 millimeter) rocket. It converts the Hydra 70 unguided rocket into a precision guided munition through the addition of a mid-body guidance unit developed by BAE Systems. The APKWS has also been successfully tested in live fire exercises with the Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ) unguided rocket, converting it into a precision guided munition and demonstrating the technology can be used on other rocket types than the Hydra 70.[3]

Design

The winning bidder for the APKWS II contract was the team of BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics,[4] beating out the offerings from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Systems.[5]

The APKWS II uses the Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker (DASALS) technology. This system allows a laser seeker to be located in the leading edge of each of the forward control canards, working in unison as if they were a single seeker. This configuration allows existing warheads from the Hydra 70 system to be used without the need for a laser seeker in the missile nose.

The APKWS II system is composed of the launch platform, rockets equipped with the WGU-59/B mid-body guidance unit, the lengthened 7-tube LAU-68 F/A rocket launcher, the SCS 7 aiming cue (not needed for attack helicopters), and Fastpack PA-140 and CNU-711/E storage kits for rockets and guidance kits, respectively, to ensure they are safe in the field. The WGU-59/B mid-body guidance unit is equipped with DASALS seeker optics which deploy 0.5 seconds after launch and is attached in between the Mk 66 Mod 4 rocket motor and a warhead and fuze, which increases length by 18.5 in (47 cm) and weight by 9 lb (4.1 kg) over the legacy Hydra system. Firing ranges are 1,100-5,000 meters, the former of which can be hit within less than 5 seconds after firing.[6] Maximum range is constrained by use of the existing Hydra 70 motor, but since the seeker can see as far as 14 km (8.7 mi), a more powerful motor could extend range while retaining accuracy.[7]

Specifications

Program status

Deployment

Export

On 14 April 2014, the U.S. Navy signed an agreement with the Jordanian Air Force for the first international sale of the APKWS for use on the CN-235 gunship.[35] Jordan received 110 units in late November 2015.[36]

In November 2014, the State Department approved the sale of up to 2,000 APKWS rockets to Iraq.[37]

In June 2015, a deal to sell 6 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Lebanese Air Force was approved that included the sale of 2,000 APKWS rockets for use on the turboprops. The US$462 million sale was financed by Saudi Arabia.[38][39]

Launch platforms

See also

References

  1. http://www.baesystems.com/en-us/product/apkws-laser-guided-rocket
  2. U.S. Army Plans First Deployment of Laser-Guided Rocket - Ainonline.com, 14 October 2015
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stevenson, Beth (13 April 2015). "APKWS hits 10-for-10 in rocket tests from Australian Tiger". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  4. U.S. ARMY SELECTS BAE SYSTEMS FOR APKWS II CONTRACT - BAE
  5. APKWS II: Laser-Guided Hydra Rockets in Production At Last
  6. 1 2 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) Goes to War - Defensemedianetwork.com, 9 July 2012
  7. BAE Conducts First APKWS Flight Test on Aussie Helo; U.S. Army Contract Expected Soon - News.USNI.org, 27 April 2015
  8. 1 2 3 4 APKWS II Update
  9. 1 2 3 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System Archived November 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. - NAVAIR.Navy.mil
  10. APKWS II - Deagel
  11. 1 2 Air-Launched 2.75-Inch Rockets - Designation Systems
  12. BAE SYSTEMS 70MM LASER-GUIDED ROCKET ACHIEVES TWO DIRECT HITS - BAE Archived October 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. APKWS II "Hellfire Jr." Hydra Rockets Enter SDD Phase
  14. Army Proposes Major Weapons Cuts - military.com
  15. US Army 2008 R&D Budget Request (Page 4)
  16. "BAE SYSTEMS CONDUCTS SUCCESSFUL TEST OF ADVANCED PRECISION KILL WEAPON SYSTEM - BAE PR".
  17. "BAE SYSTEMS PRECISION-TARGETED WEAPON DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM NOW LED BY U.S. NAVY AND MARINE CORPS".
  18. 1 2 Marine helicopters deploy with laser-guided rocket - NAVAIR.Navy.mil, 17 April 2012
  19. Eshel, Tamir. "APKWS Enters Full Rate production." Defense Update, 13 August 2012.
  20. BAE Systems to Integrate Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System on MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV - sUASNews.com, September 18, 2012
  21. BAE to demonstrate APKWS on fixed-wing aircraft - Flightglobal.com, October 23, 2012
  22. "BAE gets more work for laser-guided missiles." - Unionleader.com, 15 January 2013
  23. A-10 Fires First-Ever Laser-Guided Rocket Archived July 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. - AF.mil, April 3, 2013
  24. 1 2 3 4 BAE’s APKWS rockets integrated on Bell’s new Model 407GT - Flightglobal.com, March 5, 2013
  25. BAE’s APKWS rocket validates strike capabilities against maritime targets - Navy-Technology.com, April 10, 2013
  26. APKWS Laser-Guided Rocket Successfully Qualified on US Army Apache Helicopters - Deagel.com, 22 October 2013
  27. Scott, Richard (31 March 2014). "USN adds anti-FIAC capability to MH-60S to meet urgent operational need". www.janes.com. IHS Jane. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  28. Interest grows in APKWS - Shephardmedia.com, 17 July 2014
  29. Australia tests BAE's Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System - UPI.com, 14 October 2014
  30. "U.S. Army Acquires APKWS™ Laser-Guided Rockets for Immediate Deployment". www.baesystems.com. BAE. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  31. BAE's APKWS rockets go to war on AV-8B Harrier - Flightglobal.com, 31 March 2016
  32. 1 2 "U.S. Air Force Deploys APKWS Laser-Guided Rockets on F-16s". www.baesystems.com. BAE. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  33. 1 2 APKWS deployed on USAF F-16 - Flightglobal.com, 9 June 2016
  34. Stevenson, Beth (19 October 2016). "BAE to up the pace on APKWS production". www.flightglobal.com. RBI. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  35. 1 2 Jordan Equips CN-235 Gunship with APKWS 2.75″ Guided Rockets - Defense-Update.com, 1 May 2014
  36. Navy delivers first APKWS units to Jordan Archived December 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. - NAVAIR.Navy.mil, 30 November 2015
  37. Iraq orders 2,000 BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems for its Air Force - Airrecognition.com, 13 November 2014
  38. Lebanon Getting Armed Super Tucanos Despite Instability
  39. US approves possible $462M A-29 Super Tucano sale to Lebanon - Flightglobal.com, 10 June 2015
  40. BAE, Raytheon Advance Laser Rocket Business - Ainonline.com, 8 May 2014
  41. Navy outfitting more Seahawks with digital rocket launchers Archived September 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. - NAVAIR.Navy.mil, 7 April 2015
  42. Osprey Fires Guided Rockets And Missiles In New Trials - Aviationweek.com, 8 December 2014
  43. http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/lebanon-29-super-tucano-aircraft Lebanon – A-29 Super Tucano Aircraft] - Defense Security Cooperation Agency, 9 June 2015
  44. U.S. Marines to Retire Harrier Fleet Earlier Than Planned, Extend Life of Hornets - News.USNI.org, 3 November 2014

External links

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