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Semi-Active Laser Guided Zuni Rocket Hits Moving Target

By on Thursday, October 8th, 2009

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Ca: MBDA Incorporated today announced the successful demonstration of a Semi-Active Laser-Guided Zuni rocket against a moving target at the Navy's test facilities at China Lake, CA.

This firing comes after a successful shot against a static target in May of this year. The WGU-58/B Guidance and Control System developed in cooperation with the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) provides the Zuni weapon precision accuracy.

Jim Pennock, Vice President of Guided Rocket Sector Business Development at MBDA Incorporated said "The WGU-58/B Guidance and Control system gives fixed wing aviators the ability to rapidly and accurately engage a moving target in close proximity to friendly forces. We are confident in the system's ability to precisely engage moving targets and we demonstrated it today."

The Zuni is fired from the LAU-10 launcher, which is a pod that is carried on a fighter aircraft's weapon station. The pod is designed to carry and fire four Zuni rockets. This gives the aircraft an immediate increase in the number of targets that it can engage giving it more capability than comparable semi-active laser guided weapons which are limited to one or two per weapon station.

The high speed profile of the weapon will permit tactical aircraft using existing targeting pods to rapidly and accurately engage a target while staying outside the range of an enemy's weapons. The WGU-58/B Guidance and Control system can provide an immediate precision guided weapon capability to any aircraft capable of carrying the LAU-10 pod.

MBDA's industry team includes Elbit Systems of America, Fort Worth TX; General Dynamics, Healdsburg CA; and Honeywell, Minneapolis MN.

With industrial facilities in the USA and four European countries, MBDA has an annual turnover of more than $4 billion and an order book of more than $14 billion. With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.

MBDA is the only group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.

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