Laser-Guided Army & Marine Corps Helicopter Rockets Get Anti-Armor Upgrade to Kill Tanks

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington D.C.) Army and Marine Corps attack helicopters and Air Force fixed-wing fighter jets have for years now been armed with Hydra 70 2.75in folding fin laser-guided rockets called the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System, a tested and extremely effective weapon. Now APKWS is exploding in a new operational sphere with new technology, range, guidance and lethality, enhancements which are already expanding concepts of operation and tactics as they apply to modern warfare.

Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS)

In recent years, BAE Systems developers have taken specific measures to enable an “anti-armor” attack capability for APKWS, introducing a new tank-killing option for the smaller rockets. This of course increases lethality as it offers helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft the opportunity to extend their target envelope, mission dwell time and ability to conduct missions with more “shots” or weapons on board, given that HELLFIRE tank-killing missiles are much larger.

“We’re adding anti-armor and allowing it to engage counter UAS Systems and fire from UAS Systems,” Samantha Kirsh, program manager, APKWS, BAE Systems told Warrior in an interview. “With anti armor, if you can have five or six more shots per sortie with these than you would with HELLFIRES. That’s a pretty big deal in terms of time on station dwell time and lethality.”

Close air support in the form of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft may often be confronted with a need to strike an entire column of incoming enemy armored vehicles, a tactical circumstance in which anti-armor-capable APKWS can fire many more shots than might otherwise be possible.

While some of the specifics of the targeting, range and explosiveness specifics are not available for security reasons, the upgraded weapon is not only more accurate and longer-range but also able to fire from new platforms such as drones and even ground-fired launchers for anti-drone missions.

“We also gave the weapon a longer range which reduced risk from surface danger zones, making it more available to be used for training to utilize the training ranges. We opened its envelope up. We also changed the way we were doing a few things with the system in order to make it more accurate.”

BAE engineers and weapons developers explained that the modifications made to the weapon were accomplished without compromising its compatibility with existing systems, yet also integrating an ability to fire from new platforms and perform counter-UAS missions from the ground.