Naomi Cooper
BAE Systems has demonstrated the ability of its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser guidance kits to target and neutralize unmanned aircraft systems during a counter-UAS exercise of the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office.
During the demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the APKWS-configured rockets hit drone targets weighing 25 to 50 pounds and traveling more than 100 miles an hour, the company said Tuesday.
The APKWS guidance kit is designed to transform unguided 70 mm rocket components into smart weapons capable of hitting targets.
BAE developed proximity fuze for the standard M151 warhead to target Class 2 and 3 drones.
“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,” said Aimee D’Onofrio, director of precision guidance and sensing solutions at BAE.
The company manufactures the kits at its facility in Hudson, New Hampshire, for the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and other international military customers.
