AT-6 fires laser-guided rockets

Laser-guided rockets have been fired from Hawker Beechcraft's AT-6 Light Attack aircraft as part of its operational evaluation. The tests, in which the turbo-prop plane became the first fixed-wing aircraft to fire laser-guided rockets, were conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. "This is a big milestone in the future of Hawker Beechcraft's Light Attack program," said Derek Hess, Hawker Beechcraft Defense Co. director, Light Attack. "We continue to see great interest in the AT-6 from military forces around the globe and the capability to employ laser-guided rockets is another reason why the aircraft is unmatched in the light attack aircraft market today." The AT-6 is a multirole aircraft for light attack missions and can also be used as a trainer. It has a maximum speed of about 341 miles per hour and a ceiling altitude of 25,000 feet. Among its features are a CMC Esterline mission modified cockpit, Lockheed Martin's A-10C-based mission system and L-3 WESCAM's MX-15Di sensor suite. It is powered by a Pratt and Whitney engine. Hawker Beechcraft said the weapons tests used BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System and Raytheon's TALON. The weapons, fired from about 3.4 miles, were guided to their targets.