QinetiQ has supported the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) and BAE Systems in rapidly integrating and testing laser guided, low-cost missiles to RAF Typhoons, which are now being used in the Middle East to defend against drone attacks.
The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), developed by BAE Systems, was trialled earlier this year at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Aberporth range in west Wales, which is operated by QinetiQ under the Long Term Partnering Agreement.
QinetiQ said on May 17 that it supported the integration of the weapon with the Typhoon before the trials to prove the engineering had been successful, also by creating a safety zone at the range and providing realistic targets for the Typhoon pilots to train against.
Supporting the integration of the APKWS weapon with the Typhoon was enabled via the QinetiQ-led long-term Engineering Delivery Partnership (EDP) contract. Through EDP, QinetiQ delivers a broad range of specialist engineering services to the Ministry of Defence, that support the continued maintenance and development upgrades of the Typhoon fleet.
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Image: APKWS (QinetiQ)
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