The United States Army has announced testing of a new 30 mm Aviation Proximity Explosive (APEX) round designed to detonate near a target instead of on impact, creating a fragmentation pattern. The new round, primarily developed for firing from the AH-64 Apache helicopter, offers a new tool to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The APEX round is being tested at the Yuma Test Center at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the War Department said in a news release. It closely resembles the fielded M788 training round and M789 high-explosive dual-purpose round.
Walter McCormick, a test officer at the proving ground, said APEX is designed to integrate with the M230 autocannon already mounted on the Apache. “The APEX round was developed to be a [fragmented] round that would [explode] in front of the UAS and make a [small] pattern that would take out a UAS,” he said, adding that the need for counter-UAS solutions is critical.
Initial assessments indicated “highly successful” outcomes. Test officials reported that APEX met all accuracy requirements and performed well against both ground-based and aerial threats, Army-technology.com reported. “The successful and safe execution of this test is the result of meticulous planning and coordination with multiple agencies,” McCormick said. “This teamwork ensures we deliver the best capabilities to our warfighters.”
The UAS has become the weapon of choice on the battlefield, as shown in the Russia-Ukraine war. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has urged the Army to focus resources on UAS and counter-UAS technology. The Army’s Yuma Test Center is the primary interagency counter-small UAS test and training range.
The center performed two subtests on APEX: the first to assess and compare it with existing M789 rounds, and the second to engage a UAS. Crews fired about 1,200 rounds of the two variants at short and long ranges. “We engaged a couple [of] different UASs and a few different ground targets,” McCormick said.
During testing, Yuma Proving Ground used its full array of support capabilities to collect data, including air-to-ground assets, such as chase pilots from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flying overhead for scoring, tracking mounts, telemetry, high-speed video, still photographers and data collectors on the ground. Those assets also are available to industry partners testing there.
“The Black Hawk was used primarily for overhead [scoring], so we can assess where rounds are impacting based on [the] firing point of the aircraft,” McCormick said. “The other benefit of surrounding ground camera angles was having a 360-[degree] view of the situation.”
Yuma Proving Ground has nearly 5,200 square kilometers of restricted airspace and year-round sunshine, which makes it ideal for aerial testing. “They have done ground testing at other ranges. The problem is they don’t have the land or airspace to do aerial firing from a helicopter,” McCormick said. “So, that’s a big benefit. Plus, all the unique instrumentation” Yuma Proving Ground offers.
The next step for APEX is airworthiness approval based on current test results. This would clear the way for APEX to be fired from Apache helicopters by Soldiers when rounds are available. The airworthiness release is required before materiel release and fielding.