Marines stock up on precision rockets.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: Defense Technology News

* The Navy has authorized full-rate production for a laser-guided rocket system that is intended to fill the gap between the Hellfire missile and unguided rockets.

BAE Systems' advanced precision kill weapon system, or APKWS, has been used in combat several times since its deployment in March, said John Watkins, director of precision guidance solutions for BAE Systems.

The weapon is the result of adding a mid-body guidance unit to the Hyrda 70 unguided rocket. The system is designed for troops to engage targets in areas where the threat of non-combat injuries and collateral damage has prevented them from doing so, officials said.

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The APKWS is lighter and less expensive than the military's existing inventory of forward-firing laser-guided...