US Army Tests BAE Systems Laser-Guided Counter-Drone Rockets

The U.S. Army’s Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office has completed an assessment of BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guidance kits against class-2 drones. During an exercise at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the Department of Defense found that 70-millimeter APKWS rockets were 100 percent effective against drones weighing between 25 and 50 pounds moving over 100 miles per hour.

In a press release, BAE explained that the system’s M151 warheads now carry proximity fuzes meant to enable engagement with class-2 and 3 drones.

Aimee D’Onofrio, a director at BAE, said APKWS is already in full-rate production, noting that the company can produce up to 25,000 units of the systems in a year.

APKWS systems are accessible to DOD military services and U.S. allies, BAE said Tuesday.

In November 2022, the company concluded APKWS guidance kit testing on armored targets. It used High-Explosive Anti-Tank Anti-Personnel Anti-Materiel warheads developed by General Dynamics.