Hellfire Junior Tested Successfully

Released on Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Lockheed Martin conducted a successful ground-launched medium-range guided test vehicle (GTV) flight of the 'HELLFIRE Junior' missile it is offering for the US government's Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II requirement.

Lockheed Martin's suppliers include two companies whose components were critical to the GTV success: HR Textron, Santa Clarita, California, which provides the control actuation system (CAS); and Honeywell, Minneapolis, MN, which provides the inertial sensor assembly (ISA).

The test was conducted on the C-72 test range at Eglin AFB, Florida. The established objectives for the GTV flight were to demonstrate safe launch and separation characteristics, stable flight and performance of the seeker de-roll bearing assembly and the semi-active laser guidance.

The rocket hit the target board 2.8 kilometers downrange and the impact was less than half a meter from the laser spot designation. According to the flight telemetry and range tracking data, the test met all the objectives. This means that 'HELLFIRE® Junior' is on track to provide precision strike in a low-cost, smaller, yet lethal package.

The APKWS II is a 2.75-inch (70mm) laser-guided rocket that will provide crews of the U.S. Army Apache and Marine Corps Cobra attack helicopters and other platforms with precision-strike capability against targets that do not require a 7-inch HELLFIRE missile�an option not presently available. This low-cost alternative will destroy non-armored targets that are close to civilian assets and/or friendly forces.