The U.S. Department of State has announced the approval of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Saudi Arabia of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS-II) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.96 billion…
Saudi Arabia has requested the procurement of up to 10,000 APKWS-II air-to-air guidance sections and 10,000 APKWS-II air-to-ground guidance sections.
The procurement program also includes LAU-131 A/A launchers, Mk-152 high-explosive warheads, MK66 rocket motors, proximity fuzes, WTU-1/B warheads, inert MK66 rocket motors, and associated support equipment, which are not considered major defense equipment.
The prime contractor will be BAE Systems, and there are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
The APKWS II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) is a semi-active laser-guided engagement system that allows 70 mm class unguided rockets to be converted into precision-guided munitions via a modular kit.
By locking onto targets illuminated by laser target designators, the APKWS-II makes continuous guidance corrections throughout its flight, directing the munition toward the target with high precision…