Aerospace giant BAE Systems has reported that the U.S. Navy orders thousands of Advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS) precision guidance kits.

According to a statement released by the BAE Systems, the company continues to deliver APKWS guidance kits ahead of schedule and ramp production rates to meet growing demand.

The combat-proven Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS®) kits transform standard 2.75” (70mm) Hydra rockets into guided munitions that provide warfighters with a precision strike capability with limited collateral damage.

“We continue to deliver APKWS guidance kits ahead of schedule and ramp production rates to meet growing demand,” said Marc Casseres, director of Precision Guidance and Sensing Solutions at BAE Systems. “We’re committed to providing warfighters with highly reliable, low-cost laser-guided rockets that allow them to engage targets with precision and improve their overall mission efficiency.”

The APKWS guidance kits are the U.S. government’s only program of record for 2.75-inch laser-guided rockets, and are available to all four military branches and to allied nations via Foreign Military Sales.

The warhead of the Hydra rocket combined with precision guidance lets warfighters strike light targets while minimizing the risk of harm to friendly forces or civilian buildings nearby – making them ideal for dense urban combat.

BAE Systems continues to accelerate production of APKWS guidance kits at its state-of-the-art production facilities in Hudson, New Hampshire and Austin, Texas as it builds toward an annual production level of more than 20,000 units.

The APKWS makes the rocket a better weapon for today’s low intensity conflicts, where minimizing collateral damage is a top priority.

According to BAE Systems, the weapon’s manufacturer, the APKWS is one-third the weight and cost of other precision rockets in the U.S. Department of Defense inventory.