Breaking Defense
• Jennifer Petersen
BAE Systems says its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guidance kit can provide cost-effective precision-strike and counter-drone capabilities across aircraft, unmanned systems and ground platforms. The pitch positions a guided-rocket solution for multiple launch platforms as militaries seek ways to address aerial threats.
BAE Systems
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BAE Systems says its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guidance kit can provide cost-effective precision-strike and counter-drone capabilities across aircraft, unmanned systems and ground platforms. The pitch positions a guided-rocket solution for multiple launch platforms as militaries seek ways to address aerial threats.
BAE Systems is in the early stages of exploring a possible offer for Robin Radar Systems, according to three people familiar with the matter cited by Reuters. The potential transaction could value the radar specialist at approximately $2.3 billion, though no bid has been confirmed.
BAE Systems’ AN/APX-127(V)1 Combined Interrogator Transponder has received AIMS certification from the U.S. Department of War, clearing the identification-friend-or-foe system for U.S. Air Force F-16s. BAE expects deliveries from an initial 90-unit production lot to begin this year, with the system designed for future combat aircraft.
BAE Systems Australia and Skyryse are partnering to advance autonomous flight through software solutions. The collaboration centers on software-defined capabilities, highlighting the partners’ effort to develop more adaptable and potentially scalable approaches to autonomy across aerospace applications.
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The Royal Air Force is investigating the first loss of a Hawk T2 after the advanced jet trainer crashed shortly after departing RAF Valley on a training mission. Both trainee pilots ejected and parachuted to safety, while the accident renews scrutiny of technical issues affecting the fleet.
SES will oversee construction and provide payloads for 18 MEO satellites in Europe’s secure Iris² constellation, while U.S. agencies advance contracts and infrastructure for missile-warning and tracking systems, including BAE Systems’ 10-spacecraft MEO Epoch 2 program and new resilient LEO ground entry points.
GE Aerospace is developing a combined booster-and-cruiser all-up-round test bed for the Defense Innovation Unit, while AEVEX won up to $92.2 million to modernize SkyRange hypersonic telemetry and communications. Separately, BAE Systems launched Shadow EW, a family of compact electronic-warfare systems for crewed and uncrewed small airborne platforms.
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Cailabs is introducing shared optical ground-station infrastructure, while ICEYE and Arianespace will evaluate Ariane 6 for sovereign SAR missions. Poland’s EYCORE reported first imagery from its inaugural radar satellite, and BAE Systems and the U.S. Space Force completed a critical design review for Epoch 2 missile-warning satellites planned for 2029.
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