The Joint Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Countermeasure Command (JCO) has successfully tested BAE Systems’ APKWS® Laser Guidance Kits in a Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (C-UAS) mission. Testing on a Class 2 UAV paves the way for sending high-precision missiles to partner countries around the world. APKWS transforms unguided missiles into smart munitions for precision attacks on soft and lightly armored targets.

The newly developed non-contact fuze for the standard M151 warhead enables laser guidance kits to operate Class 2 and 3 drones that typically weigh less than 55 pounds. Detonator retains legacy pinpointing capability for maximum weapon flexibility in the field. APKWS now enables missiles to attack and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles with unprecedented accuracy at a fraction of the cost of existing C-UAS systems.

At a Department of Defense-led training exercise in Yuma, Arizona, APKWS 70mm guided missiles demonstrated 100 percent effectiveness against 25- to 50-pound unmanned aerial vehicles traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The APKWS C-UAS solution is platform independent and allows multiple options to speed up deployment.

“Our engineers’ passion for APKWS technology has led to the development of this new product designed for direct drone encounters,” said Amy D’Onofrio, Director of Precision Guidance and Sensing Solutions at BAE Systems. “This is a very affordable solution, and with full-scale production of APKWS, we can increase production up to 25,000 units per year for immediate results.”

APKWS laser guidance kits are manufactured at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hudson, New Hampshire. The kits are available to all US armed forces as well as their allies through Foreign Military Sales. Source