BAE Systems Awarded $96M Weapon Contract

BAE Systems has received a $96.1 million contract to provide APKWS II laser-guided rockets as the prime contractor for the The US Army's Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) program.

APKWS II will provide a low-cost, lightweight guided weapon that is effective against soft and lightly armored targets and is well-suited to urban operations. The system will be used on all Army and Navy aircraft currently operating the Hydra 70 rocket. BAE Systems is partnered with Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics. Production will begin in 2008.

Frank Wilson, director of Precision Targeting for BAE Systems, said, "The BAE Systems team has put together a solution that keeps the war fighter's needs uppermost. Our design approach satisfies the need for a low-cost, low-collateral-damage precision rocket. Our team looks forward to working with the Army to get this capability to the war fighter as quickly as possible." BAE Systems said it will provide the first production baseline units for evaluation prior to critical design review, planned for July.

BAE Systems uses a mid-body guidance approach that employs its distributed aperture semi-active laser seeker (DASALS), also used in the Army's Precision-Guided Mortar Munitions program. This common product platform is an element of the company's APKWS II work, Wilson said.

For more information, visit: www.baesystems.com