US Marines Validate AH-1Z Helicopter APKWS Fire at Fort A.P. Hill

The U.S. Marine Corps fired an APKWS laser-guided rocket from an AH-1Z Viper at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, during a May 12, 2026 test disclosed in October. Conducted by PMA-276 and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21, the event was the first APKWS delivery into the installation’s tightly restricted Upper Zion impact area. The trial validated safety, ordnance-handling and range procedures needed to support future training and expeditionary firing at the site. It was not the first integration of APKWS on Marine helicopters, as the weapon has already been fielded on earlier H-1 variants and the AH-1Z.