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According to the report, the US Army has live-tested an Apache AH-64 attack helicopter firing a proximity-fused round designed to counter the growing threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
The report stated that during the trial, the helicopter fired the 30×113mm XM1225 Aviation Proximity Explosive round against air-to-air targets at varying ranges. The test demonstrated the munition’s accuracy, versatility, and lethality against aerial threats, marking a significant step in enhancing rotary-wing counter-UAS capabilities.
The report also stated that while the Apache is primarily optimized for anti-armor missions, employing air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile and Hellfire variants, it also relies on its M230 Chain Gun for engagements against light armor and personnel. The gun traditionally fires the M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) round, which combines armor-piercing capability with anti-personnel fragmentation.
The report said that the primary objective of the recent test was to assess the XM1225 cartridge’s accuracy and directly compare its performance with the legacy HEDP round under identical conditions.
The report added that the secondary objective involved collecting performance data from mixed ammunition loads, combining XM1225 and M789 rounds against both ground targets and UAS threats.
According to initial results, the XM1225 met all accuracy requirements and demonstrated exceptional effectiveness against both aerial and ground targets, highlighting its potential to significantly expand the Apache’s operational flexibility in increasingly contested air environments.
Test pilot and Attack Division chief at Redstone Test Center, Maj. Vincent Franchino said that the XM1225’s proximity fuse has the potential to increase soft-skinned ground and aerial target vulnerability, providing the Attack community with an additional capability so long as those targets are susceptible to detection, classification, and tracking.
Additionally, Test pilot at Redstone Test Center, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dan Riggs, added that the APEX round’s ballistic similarity to the currently fielded HEDP, in conjunction with its increased burst radius on target, provides an additional capability to the Apache’s lethality without requiring substantial training for maintainers or pilots who fire it.
Source: The Defense Post
The report stated that during the trial, the helicopter fired the 30×113mm XM1225 Aviation Proximity Explosive round against air-to-air targets at varying ranges. The test demonstrated the munition’s accuracy, versatility, and lethality against aerial threats, marking a significant step in enhancing rotary-wing counter-UAS capabilities.
The report also stated that while the Apache is primarily optimized for anti-armor missions, employing air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile and Hellfire variants, it also relies on its M230 Chain Gun for engagements against light armor and personnel. The gun traditionally fires the M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) round, which combines armor-piercing capability with anti-personnel fragmentation.
The report said that the primary objective of the recent test was to assess the XM1225 cartridge’s accuracy and directly compare its performance with the legacy HEDP round under identical conditions.
The report added that the secondary objective involved collecting performance data from mixed ammunition loads, combining XM1225 and M789 rounds against both ground targets and UAS threats.
According to initial results, the XM1225 met all accuracy requirements and demonstrated exceptional effectiveness against both aerial and ground targets, highlighting its potential to significantly expand the Apache’s operational flexibility in increasingly contested air environments.
Test pilot and Attack Division chief at Redstone Test Center, Maj. Vincent Franchino said that the XM1225’s proximity fuse has the potential to increase soft-skinned ground and aerial target vulnerability, providing the Attack community with an additional capability so long as those targets are susceptible to detection, classification, and tracking.
Additionally, Test pilot at Redstone Test Center, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dan Riggs, added that the APEX round’s ballistic similarity to the currently fielded HEDP, in conjunction with its increased burst radius on target, provides an additional capability to the Apache’s lethality without requiring substantial training for maintainers or pilots who fire it.
Source: The Defense Post
