A Saudi AH-6SA helicopter fitted with 70 mm rocket pods of the type that will soon carry the APKWS II laser-guided rocket systems. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
The United States has approved the sale to Saudi Arabia of BAE Systems AGR-20 Falco Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) 70 mm laser-guided rocket systems.
Announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 20 March, the Department of State approval covers 2,000 APKWS II systems and related equipment and services for USD100 million.
โThe proposed sale will improve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's capability to meet current and future threats and give it the ability to precisely engage targets with much less risk of collateral damage than other guided missile systems,โ the DSCA said in its approval notification.
The notification did not disclose the intended host platform(s) for the APKWS II rocket systems, but they can been carried by Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters and Boeing AH-6SA (the Saudi-specific designation for the AH-6i) light attack helicopters in service in Saudi Arabia. In November 2019 Boeing was awarded a USD10.7 million contract to integrate the APKWS II onto the Saudi Arabian National Guard's 23 AH-6SA helicopters (24 were delivered, with one being lost in an accident).
BAE Systems developed the APKWS II in partnership with the US government to provide fixed- and rotary-wing pilots with a low-collateral damage, precision-guided weapon for use against soft and lightly armoured targets. It features a semi-active laser guidance section fitted to a standard 70 mm rocket's existing motor and warhead.
For more information on APKWS II, please see AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) .
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