The “Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System” is not a new missile, but an add-on to an existing one—targeting drones and other threats at a far lower cost than purpose-built interceptors.

The Department of Defense has announced a new framework agreement with BAE Systems to dramatically expand production of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS).

The agreement calls for the procurement of up to 25,000 APKWS guidance sections annually for up to seven years, while additional provisions establish a pathway to increase annual production to 35,000 in the event of a crisis. Congress still needs to authorize and appropriate the agreement, but the expansion reflects the military’s growing demand for affordable weapons capable of drone interception. DoD hopes that APKWS will offer just that—a relatively inexpensive alternative to larger and more sophisticated guided missile interceptors.

The dollar value of the contract has not yet been specified.

Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System: The “Brains” of a “Dumb” Missile

APKWS is a precision-guidance system developed by British multinational aerospace firm BAE Systems for use with the Hydra 70 unguided rocket. Rather than build an entirely new missile from scratch, engineers have devised a modular guidance section that fits between the Hydra 70’s warhead and its rocket motor. The upgraded Hydra 70 rocket now features three main segments: a warhead and fuze at the front, a rocket motor at the rear, and the APKWS guidance section in the middle, changing the path of the rocket motor in accordance with feedback from a laser sight—effectively transforming it into a precision-guided munition.

For guidance, APKWS uses the Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker (DASALS). Unlike conventional laser-guided missiles with nose-mounted seekers, APKWS distributes its sensors across the missile’s four small wings, which unfold from the rocket’s midsection after launch. Each wing incorporates a laser sensor that detects reflected laser energy while a separate targeting system illuminates the intended target with a coded laser. Meanwhile, laser designation can come from an aircraft, drone, or ground-based targeting system. APKWS detects the reflected signal and then adjusts its flight path toward the designated target while moving control surfaces provide steering corrections mid-flight.

The system is not infallible, as BAE Systems has acknowledged; it requires proper laser designation and favorable conditions to work effectively, and could malfunction in severe weather or under poor visibility conditions. But the benefit is that precision guidance can be added without redesigning the Hydra 70’s propulsion or warhead architecture, saving significantly on cost.

APKWS Is Envisioned as a Drone Interceptor

While originally developed to engage ground targets like vehicles and fortified positions, APKWS has fit into a growing niche role as an anti-drone weapon, often used for counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) operations. The adaptation stems from the sudden ubiquity of low-cost attack drones in modern conflicts. Intercepting inexpensive drones with purpose-built air-defense missiles, often costing millions of dollars apiece, creates a dire cost asymmetry. APKWS seeks to offset this cost asymmetry, offering a relatively cheap way to intercept incoming drones.

The Pentagon’s new agreement is built to establish a predictable, multi-year demand for APKWS guidance sections. At 25,000 units per year, seven years of procurement would come out to 175,000 guidance sections over the course of the deal. The agreement could also facilitate a surge to 35,000—either resulting from excess demand from a new war or from growing foreign military sales. The agreement does not guarantee those purchases, but it does not need to; the demand for affordable counter-drone weapons virtually ensures that the new APKWS-equipped missiles will be in high demand around the world.

In contrast to the DoD’s typical year-by-year attitude to procurement, the new effort to create a predictable multi-year demand will allow BAE Systems to expand production capacity, hire workers, and order components in advance. In all, the announced agreement reflects broader concerns about maintaining sufficient interceptor inventory during prolonged conflicts—a concern that is especially heightened in the wake of Operation Epic Fury, where the US exhausted hundreds and hundreds of critical munitions.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a writer and attorney focused on national security, technology, and political culture. His work has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, and The Cipher Brief. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global & Joint Program Studies from NYU. More at harrisonkass.com.

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