Marines accomplish first F/A-18 flights with APKWS rockets
NewsApril 18, 2018
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Patuxent River, Md. The U.S. Marine Corps? F/A-18 squadrons recently completed their initial flights with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), a highly accurate 2.75-inch rocket that provides air-to-ground weapon support.
APKWS, according to NAVAIR, allows the F/A-18A-D to maintain a forward-firing, moving-target capability while increasing available ordnance per aircraft; it also is a more well-matched weapon versus target sets currently seen in theater. The 2.75-inch rocket has a laser guidance kit that gives it precision-kill capability, with the ability to destroy targets while limiting collateral damage in close combat.
The F/A-18 is the second naval fixed-wing platform to carry APKWS. The weapon is also deployed from the AV-8B Harrier as well as from rotary-wing platforms including the UH-1Y, AH-1Z, and MH-60S/R.
