APKWS
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hi DJ, when are we getting this weapon system?
is it in the cards? says on wiki it’s on the falcon at least.
thx
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…not THIS acronym cracks me up…yeah - gimme LMAVS!!!
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Is it launched from the same launchers as unguided hydras? Or will it require special avionics interface to support this weapon?
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I just wish rockets worked and/or scored damage in their current state. :sad:
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From the picture I picture I found it looks to be launched from a standard LAU-68, like any other 2.75" FFAR. So in theory any platform that can carry a LAU-68 can use these - self designated, or ground/buddy lased. Really like these!
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Don’t see any special difficulty implementing these sometime.
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So they are launched just like unguided rockets without any interface with MMC?
So no indication if it see laser spot and no way to change laser code inflight. Just fire at the direction of the laser and thats all. -
it’s a GBU kit for rokkits
should probably work the same way, that is you set the lasercode (in-pit, on ramp?) and then the rokkit steers towards the laserspot of whatever code.
i’d imagine it’d work just like a LGB, however those work irl.
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…laser spot-on!
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Maybe that’s what the AH64 had in the (horrible) Firebirds movie!
Skip to 50+ seconds in…
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I feel like APKWS would be much more useful that LMAVS. We already have fire-and forget Mavericks and in 99% of situations, this is more useful than mid-flight retargeting.
But APKWS is a way to carry far more weapons. Against anything but tanks, it is far more efficient than AGM-65D and GBU-12/GBU-54. And even against tanks, it could work, though it might require several rockets.
But seriously, we’ll probably get both if we get them, because it’s probably not such a big step to model a second laser-guided rocket after you modelled the first one.
Honestly, if I were a dev, I’d do the LMAV first, because the missile airframe already exists and changing the guidance of an existing missile is probably easier than creating a new one. -
The point of LMAVs is not in-flight retargeting (though it can be done), but that they’re much easier to use and more reliable when working with JTAC or FAC. You don’t even need a TGP, you catch the laser, get in range, pickle and leave. That way, you can hit anything the JTAC can point the laser on, a vast improvement over visual or IR contrast lock, which can be unreliable IRL.
Of course, since we don’t have JTAC lasing or any trouble with locking Mavs, that’s more or less a moot point.
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The point of LMAVs is not in-flight retargeting (though it can be done), but that they’re much easier to use and more reliable when working with JTAC or FAC. You don’t even need a TGP, you catch the laser, get in range, pickle and leave. That way, you can hit anything the JTAC can point the laser on, a vast improvement over visual or IR contrast lock, which can be unreliable IRL.
Of course, since we don’t have JTAC lasing or any trouble with locking Mavs, that’s more or less a moot point.
Yes. With JTAC, it would be an entirely different story.
But we do have trouble locking Mavs occasionally. Sometimes, the pointing cross just won’t stop flashing. -
LMAVs also have a more reliable ability to lock and verify what they are locked onto - they go where the laser is shining, so troops operating on deck or in another aircraft can verify the targeting.
