The tests also proved again the weapon's ability to acquire, track, and hit a laser-designated target, with both rockets striking the target well within accuracy requirements established by the Army and Marine Corps.

Following launch, the first APKWS rocket was guided by a ground-based laser designator to a ground target. The second launch was guided by a laser designator in a second helicopter flying near the launch platform. This "buddy lase" scenario is typical of Army operations.

"The successful firing of APKWS shows that the system can be employed without any modifications to the aircraft or launchers and with minimal crew training," said Lt. Col. Paul Bontrager, commander of the 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, of the Army's 101st Airborne Division.

"Integration of APKWS will give our aircrews the ability to precisely employ 2.75-inch rockets from an extended range against the enemy with reduced error or collateral damage, providing aircrews with increased precision, lethality, range, and protection in the global war on terrorism."

APKWS is a low-cost precision munition system that modifies a standard 2.75-inch unguided rocket into a highly precise, laser-guided weapon capable of engaging unarmored and lightly armored targets. Sensors guide the warhead to its target with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring that the intended target is destroyed while greatly lessening the risk of collateral damage. With APKWS, military aircrews can engage targets that often were unreachable with conventional 2.75-inch rockets.

These tests mark the second time in three months that APKWS rockets have been fired from an aircraft. Similar tests, conducted in September, involved a U.S. Marine Corps Cobra helicopter.

"In the past three months, BAE Systems has demonstrated, in cooperation with our customers, that APKWS can be launched from the Army Kiowa and Marine Corps Cobra," said Frank Wilson, vice president and general manager of precision targeting for BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire.

"These platforms are true workhorses in the current attack helicopter fleet, and their pilots need a weapon that will eliminate the target without harming surrounding non-combatants or taking out whole buildings. APKWS is that weapon, and these tests demonstrate its maturity, accuracy, and reliability."

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