APKWS II: Laser-Guided Hydra Rockets in Production At Last

Hydras & Hellfires

The versatile Hydra 70mm rocket family is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to widespread programs aimed at converting these ubiquitous rockets into cheap laser-guided precision weapons. Conversion benefits include cost, use on both helicopters and fighters, more precision weapons per platform, low collateral damage, and the activation of large weapon stockpiles that couldn’t be used under strict rules of engagement.

Firms all over the world have grasped this opportunity, which explains why strong competition has emerged from all points of the compass. America’s “Advanced Precision-Kill Weapon System (APKWS)” is one of those efforts, but the road from obvious premise to working weapon has been slow. After numerous delays and false starts since its inception in 1996, an “APKWS-II” program finally entered System Design and Development (SDD) in 2006. In 2010, it entered low-rate production, and it was fielded to the front lines in 2012. That date will still put APKWS on the cutting edge of battlefield technology, as a leading player in a larger trend toward guided air-to-ground rockets.

Rapid Fire March 4, 2013: The US Army’s Limited Structure Changes in Europe

• The US Army will continue to adjust its forces in Germany and Italy in the next three years, with some units to be deactivated or return to the US. The US will still have more than 50,000 troops in these two countries 70 years after the end of WWII.

• The US Navy’s response to sequestration includes “negotiating contract modifications to de-obligate efforts for any investment programs for which the remaining unobligated balance will be insufficient after the sequestration reduction is applied. Major programs affected include Virginia-class SSN advance procurement, reactor power units and JHSV 10.”

• Air Force Strategic Studies Quarterly recently featured an article [PDF, see also this expanded version] challenging the pursuit of biofuels for national security purposes. The Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office pushes back [PDF] with a number of counter-arguments. If the DoD and DoE acknowledged that their research is speculative and may or may not pan out, they might face less opposition. “Because we’re spending a lot of money now, some unknown future tech will lower our costs by an order of magnitude” is not a very convincing argument.

• US NAVAIR’s Air Warfare Center Weapons division is testing trailer-mounted fuel cells powered by solar panels. Refreshingly their rationale for doing so has direct military value: