BAE Systems has completed the first stage of Low-Rate Initial Production for its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) program and expects to sign a Full-Rate Production contract in May, according to a company spokeswoman.
The company also said in a statement aviators from the Marine Corps completed the Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) phase of the APKWS in January by firing rounds against stationary and moving targets. The APKWS achieved first shot success from a fixed-wing aircraft on Jan. 18 (Defense Daily, Feb. 22).
The APKWS, a semi-active, laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket, is expected to be operational in Afghanistan by the end of March, according to a statement. The APKWS is effective against soft and lightly-armored targets while causing minimal collateral damage, according to a statement. Using standard rocket launchers, APKWS requires no platform integration or aircraft modifications and very little aviator or ordnance crew training.
In the final series of test shots, the laser-guided rockets were fired from a variety of distances from Marine AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters in scenarios expected to be encountered in theater. APKWS can also be fired from any rotary-wing aircraft that can launch 2.75-inch rockets, to include the UH-1 Huey and AH-64 Apache, the statement said.
“APKWS has successfully completed more than 80 shots in the past few months,” John Watkins, director of missile and munitions solutions for BAE, said. “These shots demonstrate that APKWS will make a difference in allowing aviators to do their jobs.”
The Navy is paying $28,500 each for the APKWS for the guidance section in LRIP (Defense Daily, Feb. 22). BAE has been APKWS prime contractor since 2006.