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BAE to build thirty five thousand guidance kits a year
BAE Systems signed a framework agreement lasting up to seven years with the US government to increase APKWS laser-guidance-kit production capacity to as many as 35,000 annually. The kits convert unguided 70 mm rockets into precision weapons and support air-to-surface, surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and air-to-air engagements, including counter-drone missions. Manufacturing will expand at the company’s facilities in Hudson, New Hampshire, and Austin, Texas, supported by investments in production capacity, materials and workforce expertise. BAE is negotiating a multiyear contract within the framework, so the annual figure is a capacity objective rather than confirmation of current output or a fixed purchase quantity.