I hope I'm not out of line posting this. It's from a press release, but I trimmed out the puffery. I do not work on this program, but it would be nice to be safe from RPGs launched from mosques.
Raytheon Company's new Quick Kill System is the first active protection system (APS) to destroy a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) at close range, using a precision launched warhead with a focused blast. The successful test occurred at a New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology test center Feb. 7, 2006.
The test featured an RPG launched at close range, simulating an engagement of a Stryker combat vehicle equipped with Raytheon's Quick Kill system. The Quick Kill's active electronically scanned array radar detected and tracked the RPG and -- after computing its speed, trajectory and intercept point -- cued the precision-launched weapon to counterattack and destroy the RPG with its focused blast warhead. The weapon performed a vertical "soft launch," pitched over, accelerated to the point of intercept, fired its warhead and destroyed the RPG in mid-air. All of this occurred in the proverbial blink of an eye.
"Soft launch" is a technique in which a weapon -- in this case a small missile -- launches vertically from the combat vehicle, pitches over, is propelled by its rocket motor and then fires its weapon. The radar system sends threat track data to the weapon and enables surgically precise target destruction. A soft launch eliminates concussion of the vehicle and the troops inside it.
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