Apache test pilots take out moving targets with DAGR from Lockheed Martin
NewsMay 09, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. The Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) from Lockheed Martin tracked and engaged a moving target from 3.5 kilometers during an Apache helicopter demonstration at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz. Test pilots on an AH-64D Apache shot an inert DAGR round in high winds, designating the target via the helicopter?s lock-on-before-launch mode. The target -- a truck ? was moving at 25 miles per hour.
The demonstration included four flight tests and also showed other DAGR abilities such as the use of lock-on-after-launch mode, a long-range 5 kilometer flight and launch from a 5-degree offset. The DAGR round consistently hit within one meter of the laser spot in each of the four tests.
More than 30 DAGR flight tests have been run by Lockheed Martin with ranges of 1 kilometer to 5.1 kilometers. DAGR has been shot from multiple HELLFIRE-equipped rotary-wing platforms, including the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior and AH-6 Little Bird.
DAGR integrates HELLFIRE II technology into a 2.75-inch/70 millimeter module that works seamlessly with legacy Hydra-70 rockets. It becomes a laser-guided missile that puts a 10-pound warhead within one meter of the laser spot, taking out high-value, non-armored or lightly-armored targets with minimal collateral damage. DAGR enables the pilots to lock on to targets before or after missile launch, and has a large engagement envelope that enables them to pursue offset targets efficiently.
