US Army Tests Apache With New Proximity-Fused Counter-Drone Munition
The US Army has live-tested an Apache AH-64 attack helicopter firing a proximity-fused round designed to counter the growing threat posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
During the trial, the helicopter fired the 30×113mm XM1225 Aviation Proximity Explosive round against air-to-air targets at varying ranges. The test demonstrated the munition’s accuracy, versatility, and lethality against aerial threats, marking a significant step in enhancing rotary-wing counter-drone capabilities.
While the Apache is primarily optimized for anti-armor missions — employing air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile and Hellfire variants — it also relies on its M230 Chain Gun for engagements against light armor and personnel.
The gun traditionally fires the M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) round, which combines armor-piercing capability with anti-personnel fragmentation.
The primary objective of the recent test was to assess the XM1225 cartridge’s accuracy and directly compare its performance with the legacy HEDP round under identical conditions.
A secondary objective involved collecting performance data from mixed ammunition loads — combining XM1225 and M789 rounds — against both ground targets and UAS threats.
According to initial results, the XM1225 met all accuracy requirements and demonstrated exceptional effectiveness against both aerial and ground targets, highlighting its potential to significantly expand the Apache’s operational flexibility in increasingly contested air environments.
“The XM1225’s proximity fuse has the potential to increase soft skinned ground and aerial target vulnerability, providing the Attack community an additional capability so long as those targets are susceptible to detection, classification, and tracking,” test pilot and Attack Division chief at Redstone Test Center, Maj. Vincent Franchino said.
Test pilot at Redstone Test Center Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dan Riggs added that “the APEX round’s ballistic similarity to the currently fielded HEDP in conjunction with its increased burst radius on target provides an additional capability to the Apache’s lethality without requiring substantial training requirements on the maintainers or pilots who fire it.”
Proximity-Fused Capability
The proximity-fused capability enables the XM1225 to detonate in close proximity to a target, generating an expanded lethal radius and significantly improving effectiveness against airborne and dispersed threats.
This capability positions the Apache for both air-to-ground and limited air-to-air engagements, providing warfighters with greater operational flexibility in modern, multi-domain combat environments.
The round is developed and managed by the Product Manager Medium Caliber Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal.
Importantly, the XM1225 requires no modifications to the Apache’s M230 Area Weapon System or its fire control architecture, allowing for rapid integration across existing aircraft fleets without additional hardware or software changes.
In parallel, the XM1225 has undergone extensive safety and reliability testing to validate consistent performance across operational conditions.
Beyond counter-UAS missions, the round is designed to defeat a broader set of modern threats, including exposed personnel and small maritime targets such as fast attack and small boats.
The proximity-fuse technology was developed by the DEVCOM Armaments Center, which — working in coordination with the Product Manager Medium Caliber Ammunition — supplied critical technical data to Northrop Grumman.
This collaboration supported production line setup, accelerated delivery timelines, and the achievement of an Urgent Materiel Release, enabling faster fielding to operational units.
