Fri, Feb 24, 2012
Semi-Active Laser Guided Rocket Launched From AT-6C
The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) recently
achieved a first shot success from a fixed-wing aircraft, according
to the weapon's developer. 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 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 at BAE Systems in Nashua,
NH, where the laser guidance section is built. “The user can
plug and play with the existing components, and point and shoot
this weapon system like a regular Hydra rocket.”
This APKWS flight test, which was held in late January at the
Eglin AFB test range in Florida, demonstrated the “unpack and
shoot” flexibility of the weapon system. During the testing,
BAE Systems personnel were able to quickly convert unguided Hydras
supplied by the U.S. Air Force into APKWS guided munitions and load
them onto the aircraft. It took just three hours to assemble two
test rounds, load them into the aircraft launchers, fly the
mission, and complete the successful shot.
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. (Photo
provided by BAE)
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