APKWS to be integrated into MQ-8B Fire Scout
BAE Systems has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the US Navy to integrate the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) onto the MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV. The contract marks the first time the system has been integrated onto a UAV, allowing the Fire Scout to engage targets at land or sea with laser-guided accuracy.
According to BAE Systems, the system is being integrated onto the Fire Scout in response to an urgent operational need and is being prepared for rapid deployment. The company will support this rapid APKWS integration by performing system analyses and modelling based on its high fidelity, integrated flight simulator.
Following demonstrations on both rotary and fixed-wing manned platforms, the APKWS will expand the types of missions that can be conducted by UAVs from surface ships that are too hazardous for manned aircraft.
The APKWS is a US government programme of record for the semi- active laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket. US Marine aviators recently completed the initial operational test and evaluation phase of the APKWS programme, firing successfully against stationary and moving targets from AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters. The APKWS system has since been deployed in Afghanistan and the company continues to ship units to theatre for use against insurgent forces. BAE Systems has been the APKWS prime contractor since 2006.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.