Fired from a ground-based M260 rocket launcher, the 70mm guided rocket achieved a direct hit on a laser- designated, stationary target 5,000 meters away. Telemetry data from this launch will be used to update simulation models and adjust the guidance autopilot to support future flight-testing.

The flight test was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida by a government-industry team consisting of prime contractor General Dynamics; guidance and control section provider BAE Systems, Information and Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS); and the U.S. Army's Project Manager-Aviation, Rockets and Missiles. Earlier successful tests were conducted at the Army's Yuma Proving Grounds at target ranges varying from 1,500 to 5,500 meters.

"This test was once again demonstrated the effectiveness of the APKWS guided rocket and the team's progress towards providing the warfighter with a much-needed capability," said Frank Pope, director of Rocket and Missile Systems at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products.

Carol Frazier, the Army's project manager for Aviation Rockets and Missiles, said, "I am very pleased with the results of the program to this point."

APKWS, formerly known as Hydra-70, is a family of 70mm guided and unguided rockets offering several warhead configurations that enable an aircrew to match the rocket employed to the mission at hand. The guided APKWS combines BAE Systems' Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker (DASALS) with General Dynamics' combat-proven 70mm rocket to provide a low-cost precision munition to the warfighter.

APKWS system engineering and program management are performed at the General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products facility in Burlington, Vt. Assembly and production occurs at General Dynamics' Camden, Ark., and McHenry, Miss., facilities.

BAE SYSTEMS Information & Electronic Warfare Systems (IEWS), Nashua, N.H., is a business unit of BAE SYSTEMS North America, a high-technology U.S. company dedicated to solving its customers' needs with both highly innovative and leading-edge solutions across the defense electronics, systems, information technology and services arenas. IEWS employs 5,300 people at nine major facilities in six states.

The business unit is a major producer of aircraft self-protection systems and tactical surveillance and intelligence systems for all branches of the armed forces. Other major business areas include microwave, mission and space electronics; infrared imaging; and automated mission planning systems.

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General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products
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