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The US Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) has successfully tested BAE Systems’ APKWS laser-guidance kits in a counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) mission.
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APKWS transforms unguided rockets into smart munitions for precision strikes on soft and lightly armoured targets. The testing against Class-2 UAS paves the way for fielding of the precision-guided rockets to partner nations around the globe.
BAE’s newly developed proximity fuse for the standard M151 warhead allows the laser-guidance kits to target Class 2 and Class 3 drones, which typically weigh less than 25 kilograms.
The fuse retains the legacy point denotation capability for maximum flexibility of the weapon in the field, this enables APKWS fitted rockets to engage and destroy drones at a fraction of the cost of existing C-UAS systems with unprecedented precision.
Aimee D’Onofrio, a director of precision guidance and sensing solutions at BAE Systems said, “Our engineers’ passion for APKWS technology led to the development of this new product designed to meet drones head-on.”
During the Department of Defense-led exercise at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the 70mm APKWS-guided rockets demonstrated 100 per cent effectiveness when fired against 25- to-50-pound drones travelling at more than 100 miles an hour. The APKWS C-UAS solution is platform agnostic, permitting multiple options to accelerate fielding.
“This is a solution that comes at a remarkably affordable price point, and with APKWS already at full-rate production, we can ramp up to 25,000 units per year to make an immediate impact,” D’Onofrio added.
APKWS laser guidance kits are produced at BAE Systems’ manufacturing facility in Hudson, New Hampshire. The kits are available to all US armed forces, as well as allies via foreign military sales.
The APKWS laser guidance kit was originally put into production in 2008 and allowed for the conversion of unguided rockets into laser-guided rockets (LGR).
