Development of a precision-guided rocket to arm helicopters and unmanned air vehicles has taken a new twist, with Lockheed Martin developing a weapon with company money as the US Army cuts funding for a seeker-equipped version of the widely used 70mm (2.75in) Hydra-70 unguided rocket being developed by BAE Systems.
Lockheed says it conducted short-range flight tests of the laser-guided Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) in February, demonstrating the required manoeuvrability for minimum-range engagements. Tests later this year will demonstrate large-area coverage from fixed- and rotary-wing platforms, it says.
BAE confirms the US Army has eliminated funding for its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APWKS) from the 2008 budget to pay for other priorities.
Lockheed says its 70mm guided rocket can be launched from any platform capable of firing the AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missile, in lock-on-before-launch or lock-on-after-launch mode, with "significant off-axis capability" compared to the "point-and-shoot" APKWS. "Fired from a UAV at 20,000ft [6,100m], DAGR is capable of forward ranges up to 12km [6.5nm]," it claims.
Source: Flight International
