It's official: the advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS) has become my favorite weapons program.
I'm an aerospace journalist, not an operator. That means I like weapon systems that keep me in business.
And APKWS has it all: contract cancellations, contractor drama, a ridiculous acronym and, now, a plot twist worthy of David Mamet.
Here's a brief history of this wonderfully illustrious attempt to simply add a $5,000 guidance system to a 2.75-inch Hydra rocket worth about $200.
I'll start with the first time that the US Defense Dept. canceled the contract. It was in early 2005. General Dynamics was the APKWS prime contractor and BAE Systems was the sub. There were a couple bad flight tests and the army decided to pull the plug.
Six months later, the program was reborn; this time as APKWS II. There were three bidders. One candidate was BAE, which had simply switched roles with General Dynamics as the prime. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, sniffing an opportunity to steal a plum contract from a vulnerable rival, also submitted bids.
By mid-2006, the army completed the source selection evaluation and awarded the contract to ... (drum roll) BAE! Recompeting the contract only to award it to the original winner prompted some grumbling in industry circles. Some cynics questioned whether the army could have spared itself some trouble by showing more patience the first time around.
Later that year, however, the whole program was mooted by Congress, which axed the funding. Poof. Just like that, it was gone ... again. (Meanwhile, BAE would continue hoping for the US Marine Corps to rescue the program.)
But yesterday's news was the real shocker: Raytheon announced that the United Arab Emirates will fund the development of a semi-active laser to install on a 2.75-inch Hydra rocket.
This is the same semi-active laser that Raytheon originally developed for APKWS II. (Yes, I checked.)
Now, the UAE will pay for its development, allowing the US Army and US Marine Corps the opportunity to buy it off the shelf.
What could go wrong?
This should offer a lot of opportunity for a variety of platforms.
Should be good for UCAVs including the Fire Scout.
Let me count the ways:
1. UAE dev contract restricts who we can sell it to;
2. UAE owning the IP, rare but not impossuble (is it?);
3. regime change in the UAE.
So, since the UAE is paying for the development, Raytheon can turn around and sell it back to the U.S. and the U.S. doesn't have to spend any development dollars.
There are a few other options to consider...DAGR, LOGIR, CRV7-PG
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/guided-hydra-rockets-program-halts-new-entries-03157/
An interesting development for sure.
The UAE is pushing very strongly to build up its aerospace and defence industry (from scratch). This is the second overly military programme I can think of, following on from all those funky UAVs. So already the UAE shows an astute grasp of what's important – UAS technology and precision weapons – and is moving in a measured and sensible way to get involved.
I suspect the chances that this project will return to the US as a finished product are less likely. I think the UAE will consider this to be its own thing, bought and paid for. I think all that stuff about 'international customers' is window dressing.
If Raytheon has struck a deal for the UAE to develop a product that it can then sell on (to the US), how would the US authorities deal with the issue of the royalties due? The UAE knows how to play that game – keep an eye on the transfer of Block 60 tech to the F-16IN bid... it won't come for free.
Of course, given the sensible and reasoned debate there's been over the KC-X programme I'm sure the idea of buying bombs from Ay-rabs would not be a problem.
More than anything this seems be a decision by Raytheon that APKWS is going nowhere, that Raytheon doesn't have much of a chance anyway and that it might as well go and find a customer with money and enthusiasm somewhere else.