Australian Tiger helicopter fires APKWS laser-guided rocket
An Australian Defence Force (ADF) Tiger helicopter has fired the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rocket at a recent demonstration, BAE Systems announced on 13 April. The firing is part of work being carried out to examine the potential for APKWS rocket use by the Australian Army.
This marked the first time that an ADF Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) has fired an APKWS rocket, demonstrating its precision strike capability. A Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ) rocket motor, warhead, and launcher were used for the live fire flight trials.
The flight trials were preceded by a ground-based live fire event in August 2014. During the flight trials, ten test shots were conducted in extreme heat conditions at ranges of 1,500m-4,500m, at altitudes of 200ft-1,500ft, and at speeds of up to 140 knots. All ten shots hit within a metre of the laser spot target.
The tests were conducted by an integrated test team from the Royal Australian Air Force and Defence Materiel Organisation. With the successful results, the APKWS rocket will be taken to the next stage of the trial process.
David Harrold, director of precision guidance solutions, BAE Systems, said: 'These demonstrations have proven the versatility and flexibility of the APKWS rocket.
'The results are clear that our unique mid-body design can quickly and cost-effectively transform current inventory of unguided FZ rockets into highly precise weapons for greater mission success as it has done for Hydra rockets since initial fielding in 2012.'
Major David Paterson, Rotary Wing Flight Commander, Australian Aircraft Stores Compatibility Engineering Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, added: 'The combination of a perfect seven-for-seven from the ground trial and ten-for-ten from the flight trial confirms this as a fully functioning capability.
'This testing supports the potential use of the APKWS rocket on the ARH, and it clearly demonstrated the weapon's capability under a wide range of flight conditions.'
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