The Navy in July awarded BAE Systems a $28 million full-rate production (FRP) contract for the company’s Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS).
A FRP contract option for $41 million exercised in November increases the original FRP contract value to $69 million and extends production through 2014, according to BAE Systems spokeswoman Karen Spiller. Spiller said the initial FRP order was for 985 rockets with 1,476 rockets exercised in an option. Spiller said options can be exercised for 483 additional rockets this year and that out-year orders are also expected.
The APKWS is qualified on the AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters. Spiller said APKWS is expected to eventually be qualified on the AH-1Z Viper, OH-58D Kiowa, AH-64D/E Apache, AH-6M Little Bird and MH-60L/S/R helicopters as well as the AT-6 trainer aircraft, A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter jet, AV-8B Harrier and F-16 fighter jet. Spiller also said the Bell 407 commercial helicopter, MD500 helicopter and MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are also expected to be qualified for the APKWS.
Spiller said the additional platforms should be qualified over the next few years.
BAE Systems said the APKWS completed 10 live-fire tests over water against stationary and moving floating targets off Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., last year. The company also said APKWS was fired from an AT-6 as part of an industry-funded demonstration.
APKWS converts the Hydra 70 unguided rocket into a laser-guided rocket through the addition of a mid-body guidance unit developed by BAE Systems. APKWS, which is the only 2.75-inch (70 mm) laser-guided rocket program of record for the United States government, allows armed forces to accurately engage targets in areas where the threat of non-combat casualties and collateral damage prevented warfighters from doing so in the past.