Article Posted on : - Feb 24, 2012

APKWS is a semi-active laser guided version of the US military's Hydra rocket. Photo: BAE Systems

NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE (BNS): BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) has recently achieved a first shot success from a fixed-wing aircraft.

The APKWS flight test, held in 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 US 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, the Company said.

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, it added.

"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," said Roy Rumbaugh, programme manager for Missiles & Munitions Solutions at BAE Systems.

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) programme.